Nightmare City
by Mysteriya
Summary: He couldn’t forget her anyways. She used to be his. All his. He used to have fun being able to toy with her, to break her slowly.... SetoxTea, WARNING: violence, language, sexual situations. Darkish/ Mature fic! Full Sum. inside!
1. Chapter 1: My World

**Nightmare City**

**Hello againnnn!!** I am back with yet another story! I know I have just one completed story, Deadly Love, and I promised a sequel, but I'm currently having some problems with writing it out... I just can't seem to get the right plot out L Anyway!! THANK YOU TO ALL who reviewed on Deadly Love! I truly appreciate it, and hope that this story is liked as well:D K, I won't write too much up here, but please read the bottom for further info. Thank you! Please Read and Review:D

_Disclaimers: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or the characters, and this story is purely fictional. If it does resemble anything, it is by pure coincidence! Thank you and enjoy!_

**Summary:** The world that they once knew exists no more. No more freedom, no more happiness, no more life. Everything changed after that one mistake. Whoever knew that trusting someone could cost the world its life? Who ever knew that one little mistake could separate friends, and bring destruction upon humanity? Who ever knew? (Is set after Battle City, a different take on things. Is also a little Dark and different from my other story. Pairings: SetoTea , mainly!, and for purposes of this story, all Hikari's and Yami's have their own bodies!)

Things to look for (All the chapters follow this guide):

_Flashbacks_

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

(NOTE from me)

**Chapter 1**

**My World...**

_Crashhh!_

_The bowl just fell._

"_You made a mistake, a very big mistake Pharaoh."_

'_What the hell is he doing here?! He's supposed to be gone! What the hell is happening? Oh my god! What the fuck is going on?!!!'_

_--_

I still remember that day, that cold gloomy morning. It was supposed to be the day we celebrated Tristan's 17th birthday, the day we were supposed to go out and hang out at the arcade. It was the day we were supposed to enjoy ourselves, especially since Yu-gi had been having the time of his life, and not worrying about saving the world anymore. It was supposed to be a day full of celebrations. But obviously, when things seem to be going well, something sure as hell is going to come back and bite you in the ass. That's what happened. I was bitten, and it hurt a lot.

" _But then again, if it weren't for your kindness..._

I was supposed to wake up to a great morning. You know, the beautiful sunlight outside of your window, with a slight gust of wind. The wind was supposed to blow some of my chocolate brown hair over my eyes, and I was supposed to smile and close my eyes. Then I would have listened to a beautiful bird chirping, signifying a great day a head. Then I was to make myself breakfast, and sit down in front of the stupid television set to watch some morning cartoons. It was the summer break after all, and it was meant to be enjoyed! However, I woke up that morning to a noisy city, with cars honking and a lot of excitement. The wind was a little too rough, that I had to close my window to stare out at the cloudy skies. So much for a happy morning. I ended up eating a plain toast that morning, with some orange juice. Had I known what was going to happen, maybe I would have prepared myself. The fact is, we all let our guards down. We all trusted, and that is why, we all fell.

_... then I wouldn't be here today, dear pharaoh..."_

As I was watching the TV. screen, the news anchor seemed to tremble in fear. He seemed to shake a bit, before he went still as rock. I stared in fear, 'What the hell' I had wondered. Now that I think about it, I sort of knew what I was seeing, but I didn't want to believe it! The next thing I knew, I was staring into the eyes of Malik Ishtar, a huge grin plastered on his face. He just stared at the screen as my heart began to pound. 'What the hell was going on?!'

"_...Welcome to my world..."_

I look around today, and see destruction. I see the once cheery and happy Domino City in ruins. It no longer is happy and cheerful as it once was. It's no longer free. My beautiful city is gone. Instead, it is dark, humid, and a nightmare. People are here, but in chains. Blood, sweat, pain, struggles, all of these have become a part of all of our lives. The people are no longer free. They are bruised, beaten, and exhausted. So much for dreams, so much for freedom. So much for life!

A single tear escapes my eyes as I stare at this new world in front of me.

My friends, have been lost, my family... probably dead. I am alone, without support. My existence has become a curse. I stand here, in the dark, hidden away by the shadows and I watch. That is all I do, watch. I watch as the Shadow men, perfect name for such beasts, whip people that fall to their grounds. I watch as the people of Domino, those that have survived at least, are working like slaves, just to please that fucking bastard. I watch as the men and women are in rags and even the children who are forced to work until they are sore. It makes me sad to see that little by little, humanity is losing hope. It's sad to see that a tyrannical asshole is sitting in his comfortable chair and finding pleasure in destroying life.

It's a recreation of civilization alright. Buildings are torn down, rubble all over the grounds. Parks have lost their appeal since the Shadow men like to "play" in those parts. I've seen how women have lost their status as they've become toys. I've seen how children have lost their innocence, as they are forced to watch the horrors of this new world. I've seen how men have broken. I've seen how everything has fallen. And the only one to blame... is us.

I was a fool to think we could trust Malik Ishtar. A huge fool. He sure as fucking hell fooled all of us! Hell, even the great Seto Kaiba had fallen for his fucking act! Oh Yu-gi! We should have let him perish in that shadow game! It would have saved us from our position today! Ha! How the fuck, were we to know that Malik was a great actor?

He fooled us into thinking he had changed. He fooled us into thinking that his evil side, the one known as Marik, the fucking asshole who is ruling now, was gone. How was I to know, that a little after his departure from Japan, would not really be goodbye. How was I to know anything? Malik lied, and a year later, I saw what I saw on the TV. screen.

Marik was back, along with Malik. Both of them were cackling as they stared from the television set. _"You are all under my power now."_ He had said. _"And it's time for some obedience."_

Obedience... the only way he brought that forth was through his old tactics of fear, manipulation, and pain. Mind control was used, on a lot of individuals, but a lot of these Shadow men were soldiers from their free-will. I guess it was from fear or whatever... I don't care. The fact is that they are with him, and they are destroying lives.

I hate staring at this scene daily, hidden... But what else can I do? I sometimes watch as Marik, along with his partner... no longer Malik show up. That man is the one I despise, the one that destroyed this world. He is the one that stands in front of these people, the one that personally executes the torture. He stands there with a sadistic look, a blade in his hand. He slices the man's arms, and licks the blood off.

I've always wondered how he could be such a violent and fucking bloody person, and still keep his hair clean and as white as snow.

I never did find out what happened to Ryou though, the poor soul that had to host this beast within him for many years. I don't know what happened to anyone at all!

Yu-gi and Yami, those two used to be the hope for this world. They used to keep me going. The last time I saw them, was the day before that horrid morning. They had been playing a game of duel monsters. They had been having fun and it was truly amazing to watch. Yu-gi looked so happy with Yami, who was like the brother he never had. The two of them really were like brothers, and it was beautiful. And today, I don't know where they are. Perhaps they are lost, or caught, or maybe even dead... I don't know.

Joey, Tristan, and Duke, I haven't seen those three idiots since that day as well. We were supposed to meet up and celebrate Tristan's birthday, but that never happened. That morning, there was panic in the streets, as Marik had slit the news anchors throat on national television. I remember watching the metallic substance flowing freely from the slit in the man's neck. I had seen Malik laugh as Marik had then ripped off the anchor's head... straight off of its body. Even I had run onto the streets, only to face the throbs of shadow men awaiting everyone outside. Anyway, I don't know where those three went either. I've never seen them, not since the day at the game shop with Yu-gi.

Serenity and Mai, lost as well. Gone in the midst of this nightmare. Last I remember them, was when I had gone shopping for Tristan's gift two days earlier. I remember the fun we had had, the laughs and pranks. I remember Mai chasing a boy who had taken an interest in Serenity. She made us laugh and ... it was the last time I heard any of us laugh.

Ryou... I know what happened to him. He's the only one I heard about, even though I haven't seen him. He's been captured by Marik and Ryou, and he's been locked away. He's been like that for the past two years, and is probably still locked up today, if not already dead.

And of course, Seto Kaiba. The one man I thought that would have enough will-power and arrogance to escape is lost as well. I don't think he left this city, not after what happened here. Mokuba... lost as well. No one knows, what really happened to these two... but I still think they are here, hiding, just like me.

No one knows where everyone is. The majority of Japan is run by Marik and Bakura now, and their sadistic power and corruption. Shadow men stroll the streets and are still finding those that are hiding. More and more are being caught, leaving less and less that are hiding.

Slowly, by slowly, our hopes are fading and the destruction of this world as we had once known it... is coming to an end.

Welcome to the nightmare... welcome to my world.

------

**Alright, so what did you think? Did you like it? This story is expected to be at least 20 chapters. And yes, it is rated M for violence, language, and sexual content. So please be advised. This story will be a little darker, and a lot will happen, but I don't want to spoil it for you just yet, and the chapters will be longer. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought so far :D**

Also, I wanted to let everyone know, that I'm focusing on this story at the moment, mainly because I have a plan set out for this story. I also will try to update every two weeks, but I don't want to make a promise just in case! Any who I hope you all enjoy and I shall see you all later :D Tata and Review :D Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2: Hidden

**Nightmare City**

**Hello all! First off, thank you to ALL those who reviewed! I really appreciate the reviews and you all make me feel so much more confident about writing this story:D I truly love ye! Just a side note, the first chapter was written in first person, and to those of you who still didn't figure out whose perspective it was, it was Tea lol. However, this story will be predominately written in 3****rd**** person, and a lot of things will make more sense later into the story. I tend to alternate with different points of views of different characters, to 3****rd**** person.. but you'll know who it is when time comes ****J**** :D anyway, I won't yap for too long, once again, THANK YOU a lot for the wonderful reviews:D luv ya all! Now on with the next chapter...**

_Disclaimers: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or the characters, and this story is purely fictional. If it does resemble anything, it is by pure coincidence! Thank you and enjoy!_

**Summary:** The world that they once knew exists no more. No more freedom, no more happiness, no more life. Everything changed after that one mistake. Whoever knew that trusting someone could cost the world its life? Who ever knew that one little mistake could separate friends, and bring destruction upon humanity? Who ever knew? (Is set after Battle City, a different take on things. Is also a little Dark and different from my other story. Pairings: SetoTea , mainly!, and for purposes of this story, all Hikari's and Yami's have their own bodies!)

Things to look for (All the chapters follow this guide):

_Flashbacks_

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

(NOTE from me)

_Last Chapter:_

_No one knows where everyone is. The majority of Japan is run by Marik and Bakura now, and their sadistic power and corruption. Shadow men stroll the streets and are still finding those that are hiding. More and more are being caught, leaving less and less that are hiding. _

_Slowly, by slowly, our hopes are fading and the destruction of this world as we had once known it... is coming to an end._

_Welcome to the nightmare... welcome to my world._

**Chapter 2**

**Hidden**

****

"What's the status now?"

"What do you mean what's the status? Everything is working out well."

"You idiot, I was referring to whether the stupid pharaoh has been caught yet." Came the sinister reply.

"Marik, it's been over three years since we've run this place. That idiot couldn't possibly still be alive today. That bastard probably died from the misery."

Both men stood within the walls of Kaiba Corp, one of the only remaining standing buildings. They had torn down most of the other corporations, 'all for the sake of the new world' Marik had thought. He was going to change this place. He was going to tear down these 'eye-sores' and create a new city, one that was made and created by him.

Many buildings had been demolished, and cleaned. He had a vision in his mind, a dark world. He wanted to see this city rise as HIS city. A city of darkness, of triumph. He wanted to rule a country where no one would oppose him, where everyone would be under his control. And the only way to do that was to use mind-control, and then force the rest of those slaves into his control.

His eyes lit up as he watched a young male in rags outside. The boy, no more than fifteen years old was crying and trying to hide within the bushes. A smirk began to dance along Marik's face as he began tracing patters along the window.

"But we can't confirm that until we have a body Bakura. How do we know if he's not out there making plans for an attack."

Bakura looked up from the chair he was seated in and towards Marik.

"I seriously doubt that could happen. He's all alone, and there is nothing he can do. And besides, the S-men have been stationed all around the city. He would have been found out by now if he were still here. And even if he did manage to somehow survive all this time, there isn't much he can do anymore. Everyone is under our control and we get to live like kings."

"Still, I won't be satisfied until I see the bastard's dead body." Marik stated with a sigh, "How are the people?" He then asked as he watched the little boy's face turn to horror as he was grabbed by one of the S-men (**NOTE**: the S-men is short for Shadow men).

" What about them now? They lost hope long ago. We might have faced some resistance a few years ago, but they don't resist anymore. And it seems that we've almost caught all of the _escaped_ prisoners as well. Slowly, they are beginning to lose faith. Marik, you need to stop worrying. It's only a matter of time before we completely break them," Bakura stated as he got up to see what Marik had been smiling over.

" Humans are weak. They're so fragile and easy to break." He watched as the Shadow man that was holding onto the boy took out a dagger. The little boy began to shout as another S-man held onto him. A smirk spread across Marik's face as the blade came down onto the little boy's throat.

As Marik looked on, he watched as the blood began to flow down the boys rags. A wide smirk crossed Marik's features. This was his world, the one that he created. The one that was full of power and control.

"Very weak indeed."

---

In the midst of the city, dark shadows loomed against the walls. It was awfully quiet, accept for a rat or two, scuffling away along the dirt. The wind began to pick up a gentle speed as the trees began to quiver. A shadow began to move as the wind picked up it's glistening speed, carrying the shadow with it. She came to a halt once the wind went quiet again and hid in the midst of more shadows.

This had become a daily routine for her. Trying to keep herself hidden and away from those maniacs that ran this world now. She'd seen what they could do, and they were merciless. They wouldn't even let a small child go. They'd just dance in the bloody rivers that they created, and it sickened her.

Within seconds she could hear voices not too far away from her. 'Shit!' she thought as she pressed herself against the wall, trying to seem invisible. She HAD to stay hidden, and she HAD to make sure that they did not discover her.

"...Yeah, let's check out the east end. I don't see why Master Marik is so worked up over that guy. He should be dead by now," came a low, sickly voice.

The voice was approaching her, and she tried her best to stay as still and as quiet as she possibly could. 'I have to get away damn it! They can't know I'm here!' She was about to move when she heard what the other voice had said.

"Yes. But we need to make sure we find Yami's body and torch it in front of the world. It's the only way to eliminate any opposition after all."

She held her heart as a sudden sense of relief washed over her. They hadn't found Yami yet, which meant that it was possible that he was still alive and in hiding. 'Yu-gi', she thought as she remembered the shorter boy, her best-friend. She remembered how excited he had been when Yami had gotten a body of his own. She remembered how the two of them became very much like blood brothers, and how Yami always looked out for Yu-gi.

Tears threatened to escape her eyes as she looked on at the men that had finally come into view. Both of them were wearing long dark robes and golden ropes around their arms. 'The S-men' she thought as her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest.

The two men stood there, only a few metres away from her yet they didn't seem to have noticed her presence or seen her for that matter.

" I remember those old days, when that stupid gang used to thwart Master's plans. Even Master Bakura suffered at the hands of them." The sickly voice thrust in again. " It's a pity that some of those members are gone now, hiding or dead.. who really cares... but it's unfortunate that Master Marik has a hold on a few of them. I mean, they are bound to suffer even worse fates then the rest of these silly slaves." He chuckled.

Tea's eyes widened as she heard that statement. 'That means... that someone's been captured?' Without a warning, the two figures began to move again. 'Oh my god. Please tell me you guys are okay! Joey, Serenity, Tristan, Duke, Mai... all of you!'

She crept along the walls quietly as she made her way through the dark streets, following the men at a distance. She had come out tonight with a mission, to figure out what Marik and Bakura were planning. However, not only had she learned a few of the maniacs tactics but she learned more about her friends.

It would be a lie to say that she wasn't happy with the news. She felt a new type of feeling wash over her as she followed the men.

Confidence? Strength? She'd thought she lost those feelings long ago, yet the news of the possibility of her friends actually being alive and hiding brought a smile to her face. 'You will die...' she thought as she halted in her steps, referring to the villains in this world.

"Just you wait..."

---

"Those assholes are late!" He roared as he paced down the pathway in the dark park.

He was supposed to get a progress report from all the S-men and he had been standing here for the past hour just waiting to get a response.

"This is ridiculous" he said out loud as he flopped down onto a bench and began to take in his surroundings. It'd been a while since he had last visited this park, thus he began to focus is attention on the surroundings. The once clean and beautiful fountain, still had water running, but seemed to have been stained with blotches of brown. 'Probably blood,' he thought as a grin plastered itself on his face.

As he continued to stare, white tendrils kept flapping against his eyes as the wind began to pick up speed. He let out a growl as he looked up at the sky and shoved his hair behind his ears. It was going to rain tonight, and he was going to kill those assholes if they didn't show up soon.

"... Please... s-stop... please!" came a whispered cry not too far from his seat.

He shifted his attention from the dried up blood to a new figure that entered his sight of vision. A young girl was being dragged by a huge man in a dark robe.

" Already going to play there?" Bakura smirked at the big man as he stared back in confusion.

"Oh... I'm sorry Master Bakura... I didn't notice you were here.." The big man said with hesitation.

Bakura merely lifted an eyebrow at the big oaf and smirked. He then turned his attention to the young girl that the man held. She was thin, and seemed very fragile. Her hair was cascading down her face and past her shoulders, to the middle of her back. Tears streaked her pale face as she stared at Bakura in utter fear.

He couldn't help but look at her, her thin frame, long brown hair, and tear-stricken face. He felt a rush of excitement as he remembered a certain brunette that had once caught his attention. 'It's a shame...' he thought as he looked at the big oaf that held onto the girl.

"Make sure you don't go to hard on her, she looks like she'll break within the first thrust." He said as he began to chuckle at the girls distressed expression.

Within seconds, he could hear her begin to scream out loud and in utter fear as the big oaf slopped on a huge grin and lifted her above his shoulders. He began to walk off with her, as her pleas of assistance went unanswered.

"Now where are these idiots!" he growled in frustration once again.

---

She kept on following them, through the dark alley, past the torn up buildings, past more Shadow men, and finally to the front of the Park Gate. She hated this area. This once happy and cheerful place now belonged to these dogs, who took on the liberty to give the Park a new name. The park turned into a sinister field of death, rape, torture, and crime. It was a horrible place, and if you were brought here... you just as might want to wish you were dead.

"Shit, we are going to die thanks to you!" mumbled the sickly voice's friend.

"Shut up!" he responded.

She knew that she shouldn't have come close to the park, and she definitely shouldn't be following them in... but, she had a job to do and she was determined to do it. She followed the two men in, carefully concealing herself within the shadows that were produced by nature.

' Ironic. These guys are supposed to be the Shadow men, yet they can't seem to distinguish the shadows created by humans, and those by nature.' She thought with a smirk as they continued to proceed without knowing she was there.

She'd been following them for some time now, hoping to have gained more information about her friends' whereabouts. However, the two of them had gone more silent as they had gotten closer to the park.

She came to a sudden halt as she noticed a dark, yet light figure sitting near the fountain. Her eyes widened and her heart began to race as she stared at the Devil.

'Oh my god! Run!' she screamed into her mind... yet her body refused to move.

---

"We're sorry for being late Master Bakura." The shorter man with a sickly voice said from his position on the floor.

Bakura merely glared at the men who now bowed before him. He despised having to wait, and he definitely despised these two pitiful souls that bowed before him.

"Status?"

Both men gulped as they picked out on the hint of anger in Bakura's voice. The taller one then responded with, "No progress sir. We've checked out the east end, and he's not there. However, earlier today we were able to capture a few more prisoners that had been hiding. It seems that some of them were hiding within the rubbles of the old buildings." He continued with the report as Bakura's attention began to waver.

"Who else came with you?" He asked suddenly, surprising the two men ahead of him.

They looked at each other in fear and looked back at Bakura. "No one sir... it was just the two of us."

A moment of silence went into the park. The only sound that Tea could hear was that of her pounding heart, the rustling wind, and a faint cry somewhere in the distance.

"You've been followed," he claimed as his eyes scanned the area behind the men.

Not too far off, Tea's heart was pounding beyond control. She felt as though her heart would pound's it way right through her chest and give away her position. She was terrified, he could tell she was here. He could sense her presence, and based on past experiences... she knew that he would be able to find her without hesitation.

'This is bad!' she thought as she slowly tried to back away from the tree she was hiding behind. ' I need to get out of here now!'

She began to move back, still facing and keeping an eye on Bakura when --

_Crack!_

She froze in her spot.

"Fuck!" She whispered as three pairs of eyes turned towards her direction.

Bakura's anger seemed to melt into his now sadistic face.

"Looks like we have ourselves an uninvited guest boys..."

**---**

**And that is the end of that chapter:P LOL! I knowww i'm a bad person!! I always leave my readers with cliffies... but they are so fun:P loll anyway... soo what'd you think? Enjoying it so far? Don't worry, other characters will be introduced in due time. And... Seto should be showing up in the next few chapters:P i can't wait to see him1:D :D :D lol!! Anywhoo pleaseee leave a review and let me know what you thought! Also thanks to all that reviewed before... and I really hope u enjoyed it! Anywhoo until next time folks:P**


	3. Chapter 3: Saviour

**Nightmare City**

**Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter:P First off, thank you sooooooooo much to everyone that reviewed once again! I'm glad that you like the fic so far! Secondly.. I am terribly sorryy for the extremely long wait! I've been really busy! There's a small note at the bottom for an update! Anywho on with the story!**

_Disclaimers: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or the characters, and this story is purely fictional. If it does resemble anything, it is by pure coincidence! Thank you and enjoy!_

**Summary:** The world that they once knew exists no more. No more freedom, no more happiness, no more life. Everything changed after that one mistake. Whoever knew that trusting someone could cost the world its life? Who ever knew that one little mistake could separate friends, and bring destruction upon humanity? Who ever knew? (Is set after Battle City, a different take on things. Is also a little Dark and different from my other story. Pairings: SetoTea , mainly, and for purposes of this story, all Hikari's and Yami's have their own bodies!)

Things to look for (All the chapters follow this guide):

_Flashbacks_

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

(NOTE from me)

_Last Chapter:_

_Crack!_

_She froze in her spot._

"_Fuck!" She whispered as three pairs of eyes turned towards her direction._

_Bakura's anger seemed to melt into his now sadistic face._

"_Looks like we have ourselves an uninvited guest boys..."_

**Chapter 3**

**Saviour**

'Damn it!' the dark figure thought as he rushed along the dark streets of Domino City. 'I shouldn't have let her out of my sight!'

He'd been looking around the ports for over an hour. He'd waited at the docks for as long as he could... and he heard nothing except the rats and screams in the night. He hadn't heard her soft footsteps, nor her silent breathing. She never came. She was supposed to meet him an hour ago... but she never showed. 

"Damn you Tea! I'm going to kill you if you get caught!" He grumbled into the air as he picked up his speed and approached the dark park ahead of him.

If there was one place you'd surely find out new information, it would be at that god-forsaken park. He knew that she must've followed the S-men here, and knowing her... he knew she'd be in trouble.

'Another day in paradise!' he thought as a smirk engraved onto his elegant face. His hair flew around his face, flying with the wind as he rushed. 

He took a swift turn into the gates and quietly crept along the trees. No one would be able to see him, no one ever had, nor ever would. He moved amongst shadows, effortlessly. He'd been working within the city since the takeover and had never been caught. For those prisoners that had seen this figure, they believed a change would come. He'd become a legend... and people wondered if he was even real.

He'd kept people alive, and he'd continue to try and bring about change. He had a mission, and he was not going to give up.

'Damn it Tea!'

---

"What is it now? I really don't have the time for stupid things Roland." Marik growled as he took his seat at the end of the table.

"I am sorry sir... but you asked us to inform you once we came across certain people..." The tall man responded.

Marik scrutinized the man in front of him. 

Roland had been a loyal and faithful 'employee' and Marik couldn't help but let a sly grin come across his features. Roland, who once served Seto Kaiba, now worked for him. 'What a wonderful world,' Marik thought. It was so easy to turn people against others. That's how Roland had been turned against Kaiba. That's why Kaiba was no longer here.

"And who could you have caught this time Roland?" Marik groaned. He remembered the last time this man had come before him with a new prisoner. Roland had thought he'd caught that stupid mutt... Joey Wheeler, but it wasn't him.

"This time I can assure you I have the right person!" Roland piped up with alarm. He didn't want to go through any... punishment this time. "This time, I am positive it is Joey Wheeler sir." He responded as two new figures were pushed into the room.

A wide smirk spread across Marik's face as he examined the two new prisoners. His eyes immediately flew towards the blond-haired boy that was now kneeling on the ground. He definitely looked thinner then the way Marik remembered him. His blond messy hair looked past messy, and much longer. His chest was almost bare, since the rags that were his 'shirt' were doing no good. In short, the young man before him looked utterly chaotic... a complete mess.

Marik let out a sinister chuckle at the sight of Joey's expression as he looked up at Marik. His face was contorted in fear and anger. He seemed to be ready to jump up at Marik, but was being kept back by a small palm on his arm. 

Marik adjusted his gaze towards the smaller and thinner figure to the boy's right. Her reddish brownish hair was dishevelled and floating down her thin shoulders as her palm rested on her brother's arm. She leaned there with her brother, looking as fragile as a delicate figurine. Marik let a sly smile cross his face as he looked at the two 'new' prisoners in front of him. 'This will be fun,' he thought as he knelt down in front of the now shaking young woman.

Marik let his eyes focus onto the boy on her left, as he put his hand onto the girls palm resting on her brother. He felt her tense up.

"Don't touch her, you asshole!" Joey snapped at the same moment he heard his sister whimper. 

Marik merely mused as he stood up straight, taking the girls hand within his palms. He pulled her towards him without Joey noticing. Her small body collided with his big one, as he snaked an arm around her waist, her back buried within his chest.

Joey jumped to his feet ready to charge when he heard his sister scream. "You bastard! I said don't touch her!" Joey rushed forward in order to hit Marik. Marik merely chuckled and dodged Joey's first punch, gliding with Serenity crushed against him. "You asshole!" Joey shouted again as he came out with another blow.

"My my... You're no fun Wheeler."

---

'Oh shit! Hell no!' 

She was frozen in terror as the men, no more than 30 meters away, turned to her. Her mind began to race, trying to figure out a way of escaping without being caught. Had she learned one thing in her life in this new age, it was the fact that she would never be able to outrun the Devil in front of her.

"Whose there?" Grunted the shorter man with the sinister voice.

Tea's heart was rapidly beating, protesting to break through from her chest. 'Run Tea! Move!' She kept screaming in her head. Her body refused to listen... she merely stood there, her back pressed to the tree.

"If you come out now, we _might_ not hurt you," Bakura's cruel yet smooth voice called out. Just by listening to his voice she could tell he held a huge smirk on his face. He probably thought he could play a new game with the new 'prisoner'.

She shuddered at the thought. Tea had noticed the slight shift in tone at the word 'might'.

"_Fuck you! Just leave me alone!"_

_He smiled as he bit down on his bottom lip. "Don't be like that little one. Words like fuck don't sound nice coming out of your mouth."_

"_I don't know how else to get rid of you!"_

"_Well, if you listen to me, I might just leave..."_

'To hell with you!' she thought.

Without a warning, a sudden black blur halted in front of her making her cry out. However, the black blur covered her mouth before she could have screamed and let the men there know that it was Tea Gardner that stood there. She looked at the man, his palm resting on her mouth. He stared at her with his intense glare. 

'Thank god!' she thought in her mind as relief washed over her, replacing the fear she had held earlier. A small smile made it's way onto her features and against his palm. He merely looked at her as if she were insane. She stared at his dazzling eyes that were visible under the small mask. His long silky hair was flying within the wind, and his dark frame stood still, while his eyes now were examining the three men that stood just a few feet away.

"I'm getting impatient here. You come out now, and maybe we'll let you live," she heard Bakura say, this time his voice was filled with a hint of anger.

'He doesn't know he's here...' Tea thought as realization hit her. Bakura thought there was just one person here... and he hadn't seen her yet. She looked at the man in front of her with her questioning eyes.

"We need to move quickly. I'm going to distract them. You make a run for it... and this time, don't do anything stupid," he whispered into her ear.

"Shut up! I was doing just fine." She whispered back as she shifted her position, preparing to run. He just rolled his eyes and stepped aside a little to let her stand up properly. He then turned his attention back to the men on the other side of the tree that had begun to walk over to them.

"Go!" he ordered as he dashed forward towards the men. 

Tea immediately began to run. She ran through the darkness, avoiding any S-men that came in her way. She quietly swept through the dark streets, slowly making her way to the usual meeting point. 'He's going to be mad,' she thought to herself as a small smile formed across her gleaming face. 

'Thank god! I thought I would have been discovered!' she thought as she slowed her pace. She had been terrified when Bakura had felt her presence. 

'... damn it... I need to work on my hiding skills! I can't believe I was almost caught! Arg! I'm not going to hear the end of it when he gets here!' She couldn't help but roll her eyes and let out a soft giggle. He'd helped her...again! He'd helped her smile again... even a little. She knew he would be okay, she knew nothing could happen to him. He was strong. Bakura would regret meeting him again. This thought made her laugh again, this time a little louder.

As she came to her destination, she halted. She looked around, making sure no S-men were around. She slowly made her way to the small alley where she would wait for him. Once she was concealed by the darkness in the alley, a sigh escaped her.

She took that moment to ponder over the news about her friends. They were alive! They were alive... Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Serenity, Mai, Duke, Yami... all of them. 

'It's only a matter of time before we're all back together again. Like the good ol' days,' she thought as she leaned against the dark walls. With that, she slid down to a crouching position and sat on the ground, her back pressed against the cold brick wall.

And she waited. Waited for the new onset of fury that was bound to head her way soon...

---

**Hey all! I'm soo sorry for the short chapter! Pleaseee don't hate me! I've been busy and struggling with uni and all!**** I'm really sorry for the short chapter this time around... but Ipromise...it get's better!****New characters are slowly coming about! And I'm sorry if the pace may seem a bit to slow... but i need to establish the tone and set the plot out. Some characters will seem to behave differently... but this is mainly because of what they've been through within the story. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I promise.. the next chapter will be longer! And look for characters:P I wonder if you've figured out who the black blur was? loll:P! Thank you to everyone that has been waiting so patiently! Alright that's enough from me for today:D Please read and review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Discovery

**Nightmare City**

**Hiya all! First off, I'm sorry for taking forever with the next chapter... I've just been really busy with exams.. but now that they are out of the way.. I'm back! :P anywho on with the next chapter **

_Disclaimers: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or the characters, and this story is purely fictional. If it does resemble anything, it is by pure coincidence! Thank you and enjoy!_

**Summary:** The world that they once knew exists no more. No more freedom, no more happiness, no more life. Everything changed after that one mistake. Whoever knew that trusting someone could cost the world its life? Who ever knew that one little mistake could separate friends, and bring destruction upon humanity? Who ever knew? (Is set after Battle City, a different take on things. Is also a little Dark and different from my other story. Pairings: SetoTea , mainly!, and for purposes of this story, all Hikari's and Yami's have their own bodies!)

Things to look for (All the chapters follow this guide):

_Flashbacks_

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

(NOTE from me)

_Last Chapter:_

_She took that moment to ponder over the news about her friends. They were alive! They were alive... Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Serenity, Mai, Duke, Yami... all of them. _

'_It's only a matter of time before we're all back together again. Like the good ol' days,' she thought as she leaned against the dark walls. With that, she slid down to a crouching position and sat on the ground, her back pressed against the cold brick wall._

_And she waited. Waited for the new onset of fury that was bound to head her way soon..._

**Chapter 4**

**Discovery**

"Damn it! Get him!" a coarse roar echoed in the darkness. Bakura could not contain the anger that was boiling up within him. Who was this man? Although the darkness seemed to masquerade the black dressed man, Bakura could see that this person was no amateur.

The black figure continued to float around with the wind, dodging a kick and a few punches that came his way. All he could do was smirk, and that sickened Bakura.

Bakura let another low growl emit from his throat as he tried to kick the man. Again, he was gone within a second. Bakura quickly turned around, to see the black figure standing over the two fallen S-men. Bakura merely looked at him with a cold stare.

"Done?" the black figure spoke.

Bakura merely stared at the mocking gaze that the figure presented. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could not help but remember Yami and his 'revenge' scheme that he had been ranting about the day they had come to power. 'Could this be Yami?' The sudden thought caught him off guard as he stared harder at the man. If it was true, then they had finally found Yami.

"Who are you?"

All he got in return was a small smirk spreading across the shadowed face. The weather definitely made it harder to see who the person was. Black seemed to be the only colour that was visible... and a small instant of blue. Bakura merely continued to gaze at the man, as the man gave a simple wave.

"Not today..." was all he said before he came rushing towards Bakura.

'Damn it!' Bakura thought as he rolled to get out of the way. The moment he finally stood up from the ground was when he noticed that the man had disappeared.

Bakura gazed into the darkness, and let a sly smile cross his features. 'So we finally get to have some fun...' he thought as he let a small chuckle escape. It was time for a new game to begin. The hunt for the black figure.

--

"_Tea? So what do you say? Yes or no?" Yugi asked as he slowly took in another spoonful of his chocolate ice cream._

"_Definitely! But let's set it for Friday? One day before his birthday." She responded, also taking in a bit of chocolate chip ice cream. "That way, we could pull off the surprise midnight celebration, and have some fun."_

"_Fair 'nough." Joey chimed in, as he reached for his sixth cup of ice cream._

"_Awesome! So it's settled. We're going to surprise him then. But Joey, make sure you don't tell him about this," Yugi stated as he gave a disapproving look towards Joey. _

"_Aye aye Sir!" Joey stated as he gave a salute and nodded his head. Tea merely laughed as she stared at her two friends. _

'_Let's hope that we can get through this day without Joey making any more mistakes.'_

_--_

"What are you talking about? How could you let him escape?" Marik was furious. He could not believe what he was hearing. "How could you let that man escape if you think it was Yami? We've been looking for him for a long time now... and when he shows up... you let him go?"

"Shut up Marik. I told you, there's no guarantee that it was him... and besides, even if it ends up being him... we'll catch him soon enough."

Marik merely looked at Bakura who was sitting on the couch, calmly plucking grapes into his mouth.

"You better make sure that you catch him... whether he is Yami or not. I want him dead!"

"You need to calm down. He won't be able to hurt us at all. We rule the streets now Marik. There's no way he can escape our men," Bakura stated, a small smirk spreading across his features.

"If our men were that competent... don't you think he would have been caught long ago?" Marik refuted.

"Who knows. All I know now is that we've got ourselves a fun game now. It's about time we had a challenge... don't you think?" Bakura let his smirk flourish into a sadistic grin as he let a small chuckle escape his sinister face. Marik stared at Bakura, and also let a sly smile cross his features. It was true... it had indeed been a while since they had encountered a challenge.

"Whatever the case... I want to see his blood." With that said, Marik left the room. Although he was angry, he had to admit, he felt a sense of excitement. 'So the pharoah's back... I'm going to have fun bringing him to his knees. And with him slaughtered in front of the world... no one else would want to oppose me.'

Bakura continued to grin, following Marik's retreating figure out the door. He then picked up a bunch of purple grapes. Looking through them, he found a small juicy looking grape. He continued to smile, as he heard someone chuckling in the halls. Bakura couldn't help as he began to chuckle... crushing the small grape within his palm.

--

"Tea you idiot! What the hell were you thinking? They could have caught you!" She was right... he was angry.

"..."

"And on top of that... you decide to fall asleep here? You're getting reckless damn it!" He yelled. He was definitely angry.

"I wasn't sleeping! Just because I didn't answer you when I saw you doesn't mean I was asleep Kaiba. And for your information, I was trying to get some information about our friends. You still remember them right? Your brother too?" Tea blurted... her tone holding a hint of anger. She had been leaning against the wall, thinking about the past when the black figure, Seto Kaiba, had appeared before her (NOTE: yah he's finally here! Lol).

Seto stared at her with a cold glare as he pulled her to her feet. She shouldn't have said that! It was like adding salt to the wound. 'Great,' she thought as she was being pinned to the brick wall she had been leaning against moments earlier. Both his hands rested against the wall, trapping her within. She merely continued to gaze into his striking eyes.

"Do you have any idea how annoying you are?" He stated in his usual tone... but she could've sworn that she heard a hint of sadness.

Tea couldn't help but look away. "I'm sorry. It's just... it's the first time I heard anything about my friends in a long time. I couldn't help myself." She continued to gaze off to the side.

He continued to gaze at her... and then finally gave out a small sigh. He stepped back and turned around, facing the direction he had come from.

"Tea... just be a little bit more careful next time. You could have been hurt if they'd found you." He said, with a hint of concern in his voice. Tea couldn't help but let a small smile come onto her lips as she went over and squeezed his arm.

She was glad that Seto had found her nine months ago. Had it not been for that moment... she could have been dead. He had saved her... rescued her. She still couldn't forget those painful and horrible moments of her life before she had been found. She'd been a prisoner for nearly a year... and she'd hated it.

"Let's get out of here before they send some morons after us." Seto said as he took hold of her palm. The two then began to run along the dark paths... blending in within the shadows of the night. Tea merely ran along, and held the small delicate smile across her features. Hopefully things would change... and freedom would be within grasp.

--

"Serenity? Is that you?" a soft whisper came from behind Serenity. At first she jumped, frightened that someone had been standing a few inches behind her. She tensed at the mention of her name. She stood there frozen, too frightened to turn around to look at the person that had called her.

"Serenity? Honey?" the soft voice continued as a small hand rested on her shoulders. Slight recognition seemed to plague over Serenity as she whipped around to see who the person that had spoken was. At first sight, Serenity's eyes glazed over with moisture as she gasped. It had been a long time since the two of them had last seen each other.

"Mai!" she screamed as she threw her arms over Mai. Mai also held onto her tightly as both of them let out their tears. Mai had become the sister that Serenity never had... and was also one of the only people that were able to tame Joey.

"Oh my god! How... Wha... ah?" she stuttered as she stared at Mai. Mai looked weaker than usual. Her normal strong appearance had deteriorated over the years. Mai no longer looked as strong and independent as she once had. Instead, she was replaced with a bruised, short haired girl in rags. She'd lost a lot of weight, and her beautiful blond waves had diminished into damaged, wild hair.

"Thank god you're alive!" Mai stated as she let go of Serenity. It had been a long time since she had seen anyone of her old friends. She remembered the last time they had met, at Battle city. Those used to be the better days... they days when they thought that nothing could go wrong. She paused to look around, to make sure no one had noticed them. Slowly, Mai led Serenity through the prisoners, quietly entering the building, until they were in an empty area.

Serenity looked around to find that they were in what looked like a sort of storage room. The room held many crates, and also held a weird stench that seemed to burn her. Mai seemed unaffected by the stench as she crouched near one of the crates and signalled her over.

"Where are we?" Serenity asked, still looking around to see if anyone else was around.

"We're in a supply room. They tend to keep a lot of stuff in here. But no one usually comes by this place... so we should be safe here."

Serenity decided to take a seat next to Mai. "No one comes around here? But won't they know that we're missing?"

"Those idiots when their 'boss' isn't around. As long as we can get back to work without them seeing us... we'll be fine." Mai paused to let a small smile cross her features, "Don't worry hun, I won't let them hurt you. Heck, they won't even catch us." She then put her arm around Serenity's shoulders as a way of assuring her that things would be okay.

A moment of silence seemed to weigh down on them then. Serenity was the first to break the silence.

"How long have you been here for?" She asked as Mai removed her arm from Serenity.

"Too long to remember. They ended up catching me when I was trying to leave town. Stupid Marik. I was just done shopping, and was about to head over to a friend's place. The next thing I knew, I heard people screaming and start running. I didn't know what was happening until I was caught." She paused for a moment, reflecting back to the day she'd been caught.

"I remember seeing bodies all around. People were crying, screaming... it was hell. They ended up taking me in... and the next thing I knew I was forced into becoming a slave here! They make us work all day long Serenity... they barely feed us. It's hell damn it!" Fresh tears began to pour out of her eyes as she looked at Serenity.

"I came close to ending my life... but they don't even let you do that. They want you to suffer... and they enjoy it. Stupid bastards! I'm going to enjoy killing them!" Serenity merely sat there, looking at her hurt friend. It had been a while, but Mai still seemed to hold a little bit of her old spirit. She was a strong woman, and Serenity couldn't help but let a small smile creep onto her face knowing that Mai had continued to try to stay along.

"...Mai... we can't give up. I know things will be okay in the end... I have faith."

Mai wiped away her tears and plastered on a small smile. "I know hun. Things will go back to the normal way once Marik and his goonies are dead." Mai then stood up, indicating that it was time to go.

Serenity continued to smile as she stood up, quietly following Mai back to their 'work' area. They were supposed to be helping build a pyramid. People were dying, starving, and pouring their sweat and blood into this pyramid... and no one seemed to care. Life sure had taken a turn for the worse.

"By the way, where's Joey?"

"I don't know... we got separated... I hope he's okay..."

"Don't worry hun. That man is one tough mutt," Mai said as she let a small giggle escape her lips. Serenity couldn't help but smile.

--

'Shit!' I thought as I saw a man pacing back and forth, not too far away.

I hated these moments. When I lost Yu-gi... it was hell. I felt responsible for everything... and I had to do something to fix things.

'Stupid Yu-gi. If you keep getting lost... How can we save everyone?' I wondered as I quietly made my way past the pacing man. Yu-gi disappeared just moments earlier. He seemed to be doing a lot of that now adays... and it was beginning to get on my nerves. We'd been in hiding for too long. We'd been recovering for way to long. It was time to come out again... and save the world.

'Like we didn't do enough of that earlier.' I thought to myself as I thought I caught a glimpse of thunder bolt hair. That boy really was too much of a free spirit. Even in times like this, he was able to hold onto the faith he once held. He continued to be happy, and continued to show me faith.

"Yu-gi, that's enough playing around."

--

"Seto..." She called out through the blanket that covered her.

"Hmm?" was all she heard... not too far off within the darkness of the cave.

She lay there for a moment pondering over what it was she wanted to say to him. They hadn't talked much on their way back home. She hadn't wanted to lose the small happy moment that they had shared earlier. It was one of those special moments that they tended to share now here and there. Seto really had opened up to her... he really had become close to her. He never had to use his words for her to figure out what he was thinking. There was a time when she'd forgotten everything that once used to hold a special meaning in her life. She didn't want Seto to feel the same way. She continued to try and cherish the small little moments that seemed to make there way into their lives. She wanted to treasure the happy moments for as long as she could. Today was no exception.

"Happy Birthday."

--

**And that is the end for today! I'm so sorry for the long wait! It' been really hard trying to balance family, work, andnow leisure. I've become way to addicted to Kpop/ Korean Variety shows on Youtube! Ah! Anywhoo I'm trying to break away from my cliff hanger traditions lol! Anyway.. I know the stories a little slow at the moment.. but I promise.. It will pick up. I just need to bring forth the rest of the characters before the climax. There will be character development for the next few chapters.. and many other characters will make their entrance... I also promise some twists and turns! And expect to be surprised! Lol! Okay anyway, I hope you enjoyed that chapter! :)**** Please leave a review and let me know what you thought... and any suggestions would be awesome! Until next time folks!**


	5. Chapter 5: Chaos

**Nightmare City**

**Hey all! How've you all been? Anywho I'm back with the latest chapter. I know I'm not really good with updating fast... but I really want to thank those of you who have been waiting so patiently! I'm really sorry.. so much going on at home... and I'm working 6 days a week! It's crazy! Anywhoo... here's the next chapter... Thank you to everyone that read and reviews this story! You all really make me want to continue ****J**** Thanks once again! **

**Warning: This chapter contains sexual/ mature content!**

_Disclaimers: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or the characters, and this story is purely fictional. If it does resemble anything, it is by pure coincidence! Thank you and enjoy!_

**Summary:** The world that they once knew exists no more. No more freedom, no more happiness, no more life. Everything changed after that one mistake. Whoever knew that trusting someone could cost the world its life? Who ever knew that one little mistake could separate friends, and bring destruction upon humanity? Who ever knew? (Is set after Battle City, a different take on things. Is also a little Dark and different from my other story. Pairings: SetoTea , mainly!, and for purposes of this story, all Hikari's and Yami's have their own bodies!)

Things to look for (All the chapters follow this guide):

_Flashbacks_

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

(NOTE from me)

_Last Chapter:_

"_Seto..." She called out through the blanket that covered her._

"_Hmm?" was all she heard... not too far off within the darkness of the cave._

_She lay there for a moment pondering over what it was she wanted to say to him. They hadn't talked much on their way back home. She hadn't want to lose the small happy moment that they had shared earlier. It was one of those special moments that tended to share now adays. Seto really had opened up to her... he really had become close to her. He never had to use his words for her to figure out what he was thinking. There was a time when she'd forgotten everything that once used to hold a special meaning in her life. She didn't want Seto to feel the same way. She continued to try and cherish the small little moments that seemed to make their way into their lives. She wanted to treasure the happy moments for as long as she could. Today was no exception._

"_Happy Birthday."_

**Chapter 5**

**Chaos**

"_Fuck you! Just leave me alone!"_

_He smiled as he bit down on his bottom lip. "Don't be like that little one. Words like fuck don't sound nice coming out of your mouth."_

"_I don't know how else to get rid of you!"_

"_Well, if you listen to me, I might just leave..."_

"Tea... wake up..." he whispered as she began to come around. She'd been having that nightmare again. She'd suffered a lot in her life... but that one moment seemed to have engraved itself into her mind. No matter how hard she tried to forget... it continued to haunt her.

"What time is it?" She asked as she boost herself onto her elbows.

"I'm not too sure... but I think it's around 7."

He was leaning against the wall, gazing out into the exit. She merely looked at him for a moment, and then decided to just lie down again. She let out a sigh as she placed her arm on her forehead.

It was silent once again.

"You're still having that nightmare."

Tea closed her eyes as if trying to shut them out. She merely nodded at his statement. He knew her too well. There was no point in lying... he would just figure it out anyway.

"I lived that nightmare... and it's not easy to just pretend something like that... never happened... I ..." Tea couldn't continue. She could feel the tears brimming on her eyes, just threatening to fall. Instead, she fell silent. She could hear him let out a sigh followed by some rustling of clothes as he got up. The next thing she knew, she was facing a strong broad chest. Tea merely lay there, against his chest as he stroked her long brown hair. Her tears ended up falling... and she wasn't able to stop them.

"I know it wa...was a... while... a whi...ago... but... he..." she tried to say through her crackling voice.

"Shhh... I know," he responded, tightening his hold around her. "It's okay Tea... shhh."

--

_She ran across the dark streets as fast as she could. The pounding of her heart was strong within her ears. The only thought running through her head was to 'get away'. She ran and ran as fast and as far as she could._

_Without warning, an arm had found its way around her waist. She was pulled towards a strong body. Tea let out a scream as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp._

"_Let go of me!" she yelled as she continued to thrash in his arms. All she got in return was a sinister cackle._

"_I said LET ME GO NOW!"_

--

"I'm alright Seto! I'll be fine!"

"That's what you said the last time too."

They were supposed to go out again tonight... but he wouldn't let her.

--

"_Stt-op... please!" She cried out._

_He merely laughed as he looked her in the eye. _

"_Now, where's the fun in that?" _

_His gaze was the scariest she had ever seen it. His light eyes were gawking down at her. They were exploring her... frightening her. He had hurt her. Her arms had been pinned against either side of her head. His grip was too strong._

_Her shirt had been tossed off, her skirt among the rags. His top was entwined with hers... lying on the floor beside the huge bed that they were in. _

_The room had been full of the colour red. The huge bed, full of cushions was the biggest thing in the room. The door was quite decorative and big. The room could literally have been taken out of the history books. Beside the bed was a small table, and on that table was a basket full of fruit. The dominant fruit... were purple grapes._

_They had entered the room in chaos. She had been hoisted up in his arms. She had continued to scream as she tried to get away, yet all he did was laugh. Laugh at her weakness, at her will, at her attempt to get away. She slowly lost the little strength that she had. There was no hope. She was in enemy territory, and it was impossible to get away now._

_She let out a cry as he bit down hard on her collar bone. Her head bobbed back as she tried to hold in her tears. It frightened her to know that someone could be so vicious and lustful. He really did show no mercy... whether it came to murder or rape._

--

"Let me go you dogs!" Joey yelled as he tried to break down the bars. Marik had ended up building his own personal dungeon place. Joey let out a loud cackle when they brought him down there. He couldn't believe how stupid all of this was. What was Marik trying to do? Go back in time?

"Shut up. You're in no position to be giving us any orders. With one move, we can slice your head right off your shoulders," one of the cloaked men responded.

Joey merely sneered at the man. Oh how he hated them.

"Then tell me... why are ya bringing me down here?"

The man merely stared back blankly. They continued to go deeper into the 'dungeon'. When they finally came to a stop, they roughly shoved Joey into a cell.

"You're to stay here for a bit. Master Bakura will be with you in due time. Until then... try to stay out of trouble."

Joey let out a grunt as he saw the retreating form of the men. This was absolutely stupid! How lame could this get! One minute, they were supposed to be having fun celebrating, and the next... they were supposed to be running for their lives! What kind of a world was this?

Joey gave up on breaking the bars down. Instead, his eyes wandered to the dark hall in front of him. He hadn't noticed the cell in front of him when they'd shoved them into his dirty one. It was dark and hard to make out anything, but he swore there was a familiar outline in the shadows.

"Hey! Whose there?" he said as he squinted his eyes to try to see who it was. At first, there was no response. Joey tried to call out again, and found silence once again. Finally, the figure in the cell seemed to shift a little. The figure then stood up and started to walk towards the door of the cell.

Joey let out a gasp as he saw the features of the young man before him.

"Duke?"

--

"Alright, listen up Tea. You better be careful this time around. How do you expect to start a rebellion, if you get caught again?"

Tea merely gazed up into the sky. At least there was no rain tonight. The past few days had been full of humidity and terror. It was about time the stars came out.

"Are you listening?" She could hear his stern and serious voice.

She turned to meet his gaze and nodded her head. "I'll be fine Seto. Don't worry. This time I won't get caught." She let a small smile cross her face to assure him that everything would go as planned.

He merely looked at her and finally let out a sigh. "Alright then, we're going to take on the east building today. We've got to see if we can figure out a way to penetrate their walls. We meet back here in twenty minutes. Even if you manage to find a way in make sure you get here. Okay?"

"I will Seto! Don't worry." She said. He was really worried this time around. Tea couldn't blame him though... they'd nearly been caught the last time and it was all thanks to her recklessness. This time she intended to keep her promise and listen to him... for once.

"Alright then, you take on the back entrance, I'm going to see if I can find a way through the front." With that said, she saw his mysterious form glide across the walls, away from her. He was wearing the black outfit again.

"Alright Tea, let's get to work," she said to herself as she slid on a black mask.

--

"What ya been doing?"

"I caused a bit of trouble here and there. I sort of... slacked off. Got punished, and the basics," Duke stated as he pushed his face against the bars. Joey let a smile invade his features.

The two of them had been talking for what seemed like ages. It'd been a long time since either one of them had last seen each other.

"Well, it's good to see ya alive pal," Joey said.

"I guess I'm just lucky... but then again, you never know when it's your time," Duke said, his words ending in a whisper. The horrible day came flashing through his head at that moment. They were supposed to be celebrating Tristan's birthday. Duke and Joey were supposed to bring him. Joey had never shown up. As usual, he was late. Duke and Tristan had been waiting, when the citizens of Domino began to panic and run around. Tristan tried to be a hero as he had seen one of the S-men hit a young child.

Tears began to form around Duke's eyes as he tried to forget the past.

"I hate life," he stated as he turned his back to Joey. He wiped his tears and went back to sitting against the cold, hard wall.

Joey merely stared after his friend as bit his lips. He didn't want to cry, not here, not now. Tristan had died... and Duke blamed himself for it. But Duke never knew how horrible Joey felt about it. Tristan and Joey had been like brothers. They'd done everything together... and now he was gone. Joey could never forgive himself. After all, he was the one that was supposed to be with Tristan at a different part of the town.

"Yeah, me too."

--

'Damn these stupid men!' she thought as she tried to hide within the shadows. No matter where she looked, she'd see them walking around... acting like complete idiots. She had managed to find a way into the building. Surprisingly, there hadn't been as many people guarding the entrance as she had thought there would be.

Tea slowed down as she began to hear faint footsteps approaching her.

"Damn it, I'm stuck doing all the dirty work yet again."

Tea froze instantly, pressing herself against the wall. 'Shit!' she thought as she held her breath in. Why was it that she always ended up running into him when she least wanted to and why now? She wasn't her normal self yet! She wasn't even ready to face him right this instant!

Tea quickly scanned the small broken watch on her wrist. It was nearly time to get out of here soon. Her heart pace began to pick up as he came closer and closer. How would she get out of this one? He thought she was dead... and he would not believe that there was a ghost walking around... would he?

Tea stared at him like a hawk, trying her best to be as still and as quiet as possible. She had to get out of this one! There was absolutely no room for mistakes! At least not today. If she got caught today, then Seto would be right. And she hated it when he was right.

'Nice and easy there,' she thought to herself as she quietly started going towards him, still pressing herself against the walls. He still didn't seem to notice as he began counting things on his finger.

" Ah! I swear I would've killed him if I could!" Bakura suddenly stood still in the hallway as he grunted.

Tea froze again. He was right in front of her now. There was barely anything left to hide her presence. She would be visible if he turned his head even an inch.

'Oh my god! O my god! Oh my god!' Tea stared with wide eyes at the man before her. Even her heart seemed to freeze up. It was utterly silent. Too silent.

"This is starting to get boring. It's all work, work, and more work for him!"

Tea didn't have to ask to know who he was talking about. Of course it was all work for Marik right now. Marik still thought that there was a chance that he'd lose his power. And boy was he right. Tea couldn't help but let a small, faint smile cross her face.

She gazed down the hallway, and noticed another hallway turning up just a little ahead of her. That was the only place she could truly go to get away. But then again, she'd lose the shadowy coverage she had in this one.

Bakura still stood there quietly, almost as if he could hear her contemplating on what to do. She nearly broke out into a sprint when she saw him smile suddenly. Had he finally felt her presence? Did he know about her being there all along? Many thoughts began to rush through her head. She was able to move a few footsteps away from him though, and she needed to just shuffle herself around the corner to get out of his path.

'Get yourself together Tea. Nice and easy... Nice and easy...'

"Well at least there's one fun thing to do now," he said as she heard his footsteps begin to fade away again.

She let out a sigh of relief as she managed her way around the corner. He hadn't noticed her at all. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of Seto beating the life out of him. Now that would be a sight.

'Okay, let's move forward,' she thought as she saw a large door in front of her.

--

"How long do they plan on keeping us here anyway?" Joey asked as he sat on the floor.

"Not sure, I've been here for about three days now. So it depends on when those assholes plan on coming down here."

Joey let out a small smile as he sat there. It was good to see one strong will still alive.

"By the way... how's Serenity?"

Joey's smiled faded slightly as he remembered. The last image he saw was of his sister's tear-stricken face. What had happened to her?

"I dunno know. We got caught, and I was sent here and she was supposed to join the workers," Joey responded as he tried to keep his anger in control.

Duke was quiet for a moment. "It's good to know she's alive though."

Joey thought back to all his friends. He didn't know where any of them were. "Who else is here?" Joey finally asked. He just had to know if his friends had survived or not.

Duke let a small sigh out as he prepared to tell the story of this stupid mansion.

"Mai and I were the first ones here. And that's excluding Malik, who is the one to blame for all of this anyway. Marik went on a power spree, and he decided to lock Malik up into a room. Bakura joined Marik, and Ryou's also been locked away. I guess they don't know what will happen if their Hikari's die...and,"

"Wait! Mai's here? Is she okay?" Joey was suddenly pressing his face against the bars again as he felt a sudden wave of relief wash over him.

Duke couldn't help but let a smile cross his face. "Yes Joey, she's fine... and still strong. We were caught right at the beginning and we've been here since. Serenity probably met up with her by now, so we don't need to worry."

Joey sat down again, "And the rest?"

Now Duke's voice fell silent. It took him a moment to speak up again. "They never found Yugi, or Yami. Kaiba is still missing, Mokuba I'm not too sure about. I hope that they are all alive still." Duke stated.

Joey was registering all the facts now. So this was how everything was now, Serenity, Duke, Mai, Ryou, Malik were classified as alive. Tristan was dead. Yugi, Yami, Kaiba, and Mokuba were missing.

Joey gazed at Duke once again. He could see that Duke was remembering something painful. "What about Tea?"

Duke fell silent for a moment.

Joey knew what the answer was, yet he still persisted on. "Duke, what happened to Tea?"

Duke let out a sigh again.

"They killed her. Not before keeping her as their pet for a long time. They slowly broke her down Joey. They crushed her. If anything, she's had it the worst. She was able to finally run away. That one day, we saw how pissed Bakura was. He was running around looking for her. Then, they came back with a body... a burned body. You couldn't even see her face. But the body had on the clothes Tea had been wearing, and the necklace that Bakura had given her."

Joey sat there clenching his fists together as a single tear ran down his face. She was dead. Tea was dead. And those bastards had made sure her last moments were full of suffering.

"How long?"

Duke looked up as he heard Joey's voice. He couldn't tell if what he heard was sadness or anger.

"It's been about a year now. Actually, about nine or ten months maybe."

"How long was she held here?"

"A year."

"I'm going to kill those bastards," he whispered as he stood up. They'd caused a lot of grief and problems to pass already. Those men were having fun with their killing sprees. They enjoyed torturing and harming the ones that he loved. He didn't want that to keep going on. There had to be some way to end it.

His thoughts were suddenly stopped when a figure entered the room. They could hear the door open and small footsteps. Whoever it was, sure didn't seem like they were from around here.

Both Duke and Joey came closer to their bars to get a better look at who it was. However, they couldn't see anything because of the darkness in the cell. The only thing they were able to hear was a gasp as a dark masked figure entered their view.

Joey nearly fainted when he heard the voice. Duke nearly cried out.

"Thank god."

--

**I know! I was late! Big time! Sorry! I really have a hard time getting down and writing now adays! I guess I've gotten a bit of a writer's block. I will try my best to get the next chapter out as soon as possible! I really will! And I really do want to thank everyone that has stood by me, and waited patiently! It's people like you who really keep me wanting to go on. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review! J I'd like to know what you think so far. Good? Bad? Interesting? Uninteresting? Lol! Anywhoo hope you enjoyed that chapter! And until next time! :D**


	6. Chapter 6: Hope

**Nightmare City**

**Hey all! It's been a while since my last update! Been busy with school and all... as usual! Anyway, thank you to everyone that read and reviewed my story! I'm glad people are enjoying it! J And thanks to all those that are 'favouriting' and putting it on alert list! I'd really appreciate a few reviews as well! Let me know what you think! I like hearing everyone's opinions! Anywho, I'll keep this short and continue my chatting at the end lol! Enjoy! And thank you all for being patient with me! :D**

**Warning: This chapter contains sexual/ mature content!**

_Disclaimers: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or the characters, and this story is purely fictional. If it does resemble anything, it is by pure coincidence! Thank you and enjoy!_

**Summary:** The world that they once knew exists no more. No more freedom, no more happiness, no more life. Everything changed after that one mistake. Whoever knew that trusting someone could cost the world its life? Who ever knew that one little mistake could separate friends, and bring destruction upon humanity? Who ever knew? (Is set after Battle City, a different take on things. Is also a little Dark and different from my other story. Pairings: SetoTea , mainly!, and for purposes of this story, all Hikari's and Yami's have their own bodies!)

Things to look for (All the chapters follow this guide):

_Flashbacks_

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

(NOTE from me)

_Last Chapter:_

_His thoughts were suddenly stopped when a figure entered the room. They could hear the door open and small footsteps. Whoever it was, sure didn't seem like they were from around here. _

_Both Duke and Joey came closer to their bars to get a better look at who it was. However, they couldn't see anything because of the darkness in the cell. The only thing they were able to hear was a gasp as a dark masked figure entered their view. _

_Joey nearly fainted when he heard the voice. Duke nearly cried out._

"_Thank god."_

**Chapter 6**

**Hope**

Joey and Duke were frozen as their hands held the bars tightly. Both had seemed to stop breathing as the figure approached them.

"I'm so glad you guys are alright! Joey, Duke!"

Both men looked at the masked figure as the voice rang in their heads. Joey hadn't heard this voice since all of this chaos had started. He felt like his world had crumbled when every single one of his friends had disappeared. Yet here he heard her voice again, the one who was supposed to be dead.

"...T... Tea?" Duke finally whispered. He could've sworn that she had died. He had seen the body of the girl. The chocolate brown hair and blue eyes. The ragged clothes, the necklace. Yet in front of him stood a woman with those same blue eyes. How was this possible?

"In the flesh!" Tea smiled under the mask. She was finally able to see some familiar faces after a very long time. She'd missed them dearly. "I'm so glad to see you guys are okay!"

Both Joey and Duke still stared at her as though they were shocked. Tea merely looked at her watch again as she let out a sigh.

"Ah crap. I'm going to be in trouble yet again," she muttered to herself as she slid the mask off her face. "Alright, now where are the keys?" She asked with a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Uh... I don't know..." Duke finally replied.

"Hmm... now if I were the guard, where would I leave the keys?" She wondered out loud. She slowly began to walk around the prison room, feeling along the walls for compartments.

'He's probably cursing me right about now,' she thought as she continued to search for the keys.

--

"What are you talking about? What do you mean a party?"

"I don't know. I heard master Bakura mention something about a party. I think they want to celebrate the fourth anniversary of their rule."

Seto let a small smile cross his hidden features. So they had a chance after all. They could easily attack during the 'party' and gain some allies.

'Tonight wasn't a waste after all,' he thought as he swiftly walked through the hallway.

He looked at his watch. It was time to meet Tea. Seto let out a faint sigh as he quietly approached a narrow hallway on his right. 'She'd better not be in trouble again.'

"You there! Halt!" A loud voice called out a few metres behind him.

Seto froze instantly. 'Shit!' He thought as he stood there quietly. He'd been caught.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the voice asked.

Judging by the tone of the voice, Seto could tell that the man was a bit intimidated. Why wouldn't he be? Imagine running into a tall figure dressed in black. It was only a matter of time before the man's 'backup' would show up. If he had the chance to escape... this would be it.

Seto spun around and faced the man. He let a smile break out beneath his mask again as he saw the man in front of him. This wouldn't be too hard, he thought as he quickly pulled out a small object from his back.

'Tea, you better be gone by now,' he thought as he rushed forward towards the dark narrow hallway.

--

"Ah! I found it!" Tea cried with delight. She'd finally found the keys to let her friends out. "Okay guys, let's go!" She stated with content as she unlocked the doors to the cellar.

Both Joey and Duke quickly rushed out of their little 'rooms'. Joey quickly took this opportunity to give Tea a hug. It'd been ages since he last saw her and he was glad to see she was okay.

"Okay Joey! We'll catch up on the reunion later, right now we have to get out of here. Stay behind me and against the walls when we go out there okay? Just make sure you guys stay close and wait for my..."

All three of them looked towards the door that had just opened. They completely froze as they saw two men come in. They were in trouble.

"What the heck?!" one of the men yelled. "What are you standing there for? Go inform Master Marik! We've got intruders!"

"Shit!" Tea said out loud as she rushed towards the men. She had to stop them before they were discovered. It would be really bad if she were caught.

She was able to hit one man right in the chest. He buckled over with pain. She quickly took the opportunity to deliver a swift kick to his stomach and another one to the back of his knees. He fell to the ground as he groaned in pain. 'This guys not even worth it,' she thought as she hit him on the back of his head. The man fell forward face down towards the ground. Unfortunately the shorter one had already left the room.

"We need to leave now!" She yelled as she was about to exit the room. However, she let out a scream as she slammed into a tall figure in front of her.

"You really love getting into trouble," he said as he grabbed her arm and put his other hand around her mouth. He quickly glanced into the room to see a dumbfounded Duke, and a large-eyed Joey standing there. Both looked like complete idiots. Seto merely smirked as he stared each of them in the eyes.

"Wh-what the? Kaiba?" Joey finally said, with amazement in his voice. Seto had pulled down his mask for the time being.

"Long time mutt," Seto smirked again when the old facial expressions of Joey appeared on his face. "Unfortunately, we don't have the time to catch up. We need to leave now."

Just as he uttered those words, a loud explosion was heard somewhere in the building. Seto smiled as he pulled onto Tea and began to run down the hallway. Both Joey and Duke were already in pursuit.

"What the hell was that?" Joey yelled as they kept running as fast as they could.

"A souvenir."

--

"What's going on?!" I yelled as I came across a cloud of smoke. What the heck was happening here?

"Ma- Master Bakura. We had intruders. We tried to catch them, but... they got away sir," a squeaky voice called out from my right.

I merely looked at the man as though he had to be the stupidest human here. What 'intruders'? Who the hell was trying to attack us now?

"Intruders? How many were there?" I yelled over the chaos that was already rampant in the darn hallway. I grabbed onto the collar of this stupid human. How could we have possibly had any intruders? That couldn't be possible.

"A-appar-ently, they, there were two sir."

Two? Who the hell were they? Unless... I glared at the man as I began to get angry.

"Who were they?" I sneered.

"We're not... sure. They were wear... wearing black... sir,"

... What kind of answer is that? I merely hated these kinds of answers. Why couldn't people just give me a simple answer to my simple questions? Stupid humans, I thought as I threw the man against the wall. I think I might have heard him scream out from a broken bone, but I didn't care. Right now, I wanted to know what exactly went on here, and who those two were that were able to break in and cause an uproar.

I walked through the large amount of smoke with a thought in my head. Maybe it was that 'black figure' from last time. It'd been a while since I had had fun, and that 'figure' sure knew how to liven up my day.

"We'll meet again." I thought as I walked past the idiots that were trying to figure out what to do. Maybe it's time I have another chat with Marik.

--

They could hear the yelling from behind them. Everyone was definitely freaked out by the sudden turn of events. Tea couldn't help but let some genuine laughter escape from her petite mouth as the four of them stood hidden in the trees, watching the scene. She looked to her left to see Seto boasting a smirk. On her right, Duke and Joey were once again dumbfounded.

"They're all running around not knowing what to do. Nice touch Seto!" Tea said as she nudged him gently on the shoulder.

Now Duke and Joey were staring at them, still with the dumbfound expression on their faces.

"I'm a little lost here," Duke finally said.

"What the hell's up with you two?!" Joey finally seemed to snap as he pointed an accusing finger towards Seto and Tea.

Seto merely smiled. He looked Joey in the eyes as he pulled Tea in for a hug. He couldn't help but let a huge smile crack on his face when he saw Joey's expression. Oh, how he missed this.

"What's wrong with us mutt?" Seto said as he put his chin on Tea's shoulders. Tea merely stared at Joey who was fuming at this point. He looked as though he were ready to burst. 'I wouldn't be surprised. It has been about four years now.' She let out a sigh as she lightly hit Seto's head with her hand.

"Now's not the time to be playing around. We need to get out of here. It's only a matter of time before those guys start looking for us." Seto still held a smile on his features as he let go of Tea.

"You're right. We better get going now. Try to stay close, I rather we not get separated when we were finally able to gain new people."

"Yes sir!" Tea smiled as she grabbed onto Duke and Joey. She was finally able to get two of her friends together. It was only a matter of time before she could find the rest of them. Marik and Bakura's days as rulers were going to come to an end. 'Soon,' Tea thought, 'Soon it'll be all over!'

--

"What do you mean cancel the party? What good will that do?" he growled as he sat on his fancy chair sipping a glass of red wine.

"What? You rather we risk another attack like today on the day of the party? Rulers from all over the globe will be here, and you'd rather that they have to see how we're facing resistance? Aren't we supposed to be seen as the ideal state in which the ruler has absolute power?" Bakura replied with a monotone voice.

Marik seemed to ponder the question. It's true, ever since they'd come to power, they had inspired many in other countries to take power into their own hands. It was only a matter of time before all those individuals would come under the hands of Marik.

"The news of the explosion is probably already out then isn't it?"

Bakura replied with a dip of his head. Marik then let out a sigh.

"If we were to cancel the party now, then we'd be seen as being weak. I can't risk our position. We will proceed with the party. Have everyone on high alert, and make sure no one gets in and out without being checked first. That includes anyone we may or may not be acquainted with."

Bakura then nodded as he sipped his glass of red wine. "Then I guess we better start figuring out what it is we'll be wearing?"

Marik smiled as he looked at his glass.

"Time to refill it."

--

"A party?" I asked as I sat against the cold wall of the cave.

"That's what they mentioned. They want to celebrate their anniversary of coming to power. Apparently, some very influential people will be there."

All four of them were now surrounding the small fire that Seto had started. It was a cold night for some reason. And awfully calm.

"Then let's go in and crash that party!" Duke exclaimed as he ate the pack of cookies that they were able to sneak out on their way back.

"We can't just go barging in like that. We need a plan. Besides, there isn't too many of us. We'd be caught considering the amount of security they'll have," I replied as I lay my head on top of my knees. It'd been a tiring day and I was beginning to feel the effects.

"You're right. We need a plan!" Joey stated as he held a determined look in his eyes.

Seto let out a small smile. I guess he had missed the company of Joey. I hadn't seen him seem as happy as he was now in a long time. Maybe things were getting better. Even I felt the sudden change of events. Even I felt that the time had come when we would triumph and finally gain back Japan. Only a matter of time. My eyes suddenly began to get heavy as I could faintly make out what was going on around me.

"A plan would be smart. But we need more people first."

"How're we going to do that?"

Duke's voice was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep that night.

"We attack again."

--

Seto let out a small sigh as he looked at the fire. Even he knew it was time to take action, time to gain allies.

"The only problem is that they'll be expecting us this time around," he said as he looked at Joey and Duke. Both of them were sitting around the fire. It was a cold evening, but there was still a sweet smell of hope in the air.

Seto looked out through the small hole in the wall. The moon was covered by clouds tonight, but it was still there. When Seto first found this cave, he'd been out hiking with his little brother. Mokuba had gotten angry at Seto, for a reason he no longer remembered.

"_Mokuba! Where are you? Damn it! Mokuba come out right now!"_

Seto gazed out into the sky again. That night had been a tough one. When he finally found this cave, he had found Mokuba sleeping against the wall. In his sleep he looked so happy, so content.

"_I'm sorry Seto." He said in his sleep. "I love you."_

Seto let out a small sigh. He really missed his little brother now. He had no idea where he was, nor how he was doing. It'd been too long since he had last seen him. But Seto still had faith. He knew his brother was alive, and he knew that they would meet again.

"I know! Let's place some more of those bombs there and blow them up!"

"Joey! You need to be serious. There are still innocent people in there you know? If we did that then you'd be killing innocents! Let's just go in and attack the freaky S guys."

Seto turned around to look at them. He let out a sigh. "The two of you aren't even ready to face those men."

He looked towards the wall of the cave, the same place that he had found Mokuba that night. Again he let a small smile cross his features. She was sleeping peacefully again. Her expression was relaxed... almost happy. He crossed the cave and approached the sleeping girl. Both Duke and Joey were watching him. He bent down in front of her and stroked her hair. In return she let out a small sound.

"You can't sleep here. You'll catch a cold," he whispered to her.

She merely gave a faint shrug as she adjusted her head on her knees. Again Seto smiled. He had to admit, there were times when he couldn't help but be fascinated by her. He had never known just how... cute she could be.

He tried again, and she gave him no response. He let out another sigh. There were times when she was cute, and times when she could be so troublesome. He then placed one arm under her knees, and another around her back. Within seconds, he stood there, holding her in his arms. She snuggled closer to him as he carried her across the cave towards the blankets they had for sleeping. He could hear Joey making weird sounds, probably from shock, and Duke trying to keep him in control.

She held onto him tighter as her warm breath embraced the skin on his neck. "Thanks Seto," she said in her sleep. "I love you."

Seto looked at her sleeping face again and smiled. He brought his face closer to hers and kissed her lightly on her forehead. He then placed her down onto the sheets and then lay a blanket over her. He then bent down towards her as he moved a few strands of her hair off of her cheeks.

"I love you too," he said as he watched her relaxed face decorate a beautiful smile. She snuggled deeper into her blankets.

Seto then stood up and faced the two men that had gone awfully quiet. He let out a sigh. Both of them were looking at him with wide eyes. They were sure being surprised by a lot of things today.

"It's late, we need to sleep," Seto said as he placed a few blankets on the other side of the fire, "we'll come up with plans tomorrow."

Both Joey and Duke nodded their head in unison as they went straight for the blankets. Seto merely went to his blanket by the entrance. He always slept by the door. It was the only way he could feel at ease, knowing that he could detect any trouble if anyone were to ever come. After he'd found this cave he'd created a wall to cover the cave. To the outside world, no one would know that there was a cave here. He looked outside at the sky again as he lay down. The moon was peeking out from the dark clouds. He smiled as he closed his eyes.

'Tomorrow will be quite a day.'

--

The cold breeze seemed to be entering through the crack in the window. It blew threw and surrounded the room with chilly air. It'd gotten colder.

"Must be getting close to winter," a voice whispered from the silhouette on the bed. He was wrapped in a blanket, wearing tattered clothes. It'd been a very long time since he had seen the world outside. Heck, he hadn't been out of this room more than twice since the whole fiasco had begun.

He sat on his bed, wrapped in the blanket and stared out at the bright moon in the sky. The one signal for hope was hiding behind clouds. The moon, barely visible was still there. There was still hope, no matter how small the chances may have been.

He let out a small smile. There was still hope. Hope for his escape. Hope for the rebirth of his city. Hope for the victory of good.

He closed his eyes has he held onto that hope.

He'd heard about the bombing in the building today. He heard about the intruders. He'd been told by Bakura to not think much of it. That they would catch whoever it was that tried to break their 'empire', but he knew better. Bakura's time was coming to an end. He smiled again as he thought back to his yami. His yami was going to suffer, just as much as He had suffered.

"The time's near Bakura. You're time's up," Ryou said out loud as the moon broke through the dark clouds that hovered around it. Nothing could destroy the moon, and nothing could destroy Ryou's beliefs. The time had come, to regain the city he once knew.

The rays of the moon began to get brighter as the dark clouds began to disperse. The moon stood in the dark sky within its own glory. The time was definitely coming near.

--

**Hey!! I know this was short... But honestly... I have to apologize. I've been suffering from a writer's block. I lost my inspiration in writing the story. I've been getting busier with life and all the problems that it has to throw towards me too.**** It sucks being older. Anyways, I think the story is basically going to reach it's midpoint soon. Ryou finally entered the picture! ****J**** A few more characters will make their appearances and then some shocking news will also come about within the next 2 or 3 chapters :)**** Anyway, Hopefully you enjoyed this so far. I know it may seem a bit slow, but my... intense chapters should be coming out soon. The action, drama, uhhh lust, and all those other goodies will be starting soon! :P I'm still suffering from a bit of a block... so I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be out. But I want to thank all those that have stayed and supported my writing thus far. Thank you to everyone! :)**** And Your comments, ideas, and questions are always welcome! :P Please leave a review and let me know what you think! ^_^**


	7. Chapter 7: Risks

**Nightmare City**

**Hey all! I'm really trying my best to start updating at a more regular pace. Only way I'll ever finish the story is if I can use my time wisely! :P Anyways, I won't be rambling on for long. Thanks to everyone that are still reading this.. and all new comers J hopefully you all enjoy! J R& R!**

**Warning: This chapter contains sexual/ mature content!**

_Disclaimers: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or the characters, and this story is purely fictional. If it does resemble anything, it is by pure coincidence! Thank you and enjoy!_

**Summary:** The world that they once knew exists no more. No more freedom, no more happiness, no more life. Everything changed after that one mistake. Whoever knew that trusting someone could cost the world its life? Who ever knew that one little mistake could separate friends, and bring destruction upon humanity? Who ever knew? (Is set after Battle City, a different take on things. Is also a little Dark and different from my other story. Pairings: SetoTea , mainly!, and for purposes of this story, all Hikari's and Yami's have their own bodies!)

Things to look for (All the chapters follow this guide):

_Flashbacks_

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

(NOTE from me)

_Last Chapter:_

_He'd heard about the bombing in the building today. He heard about the intruders. He'd been told by Bakura to not think much of it. That they would catch whoever it was that tried to break their 'empire', but he knew better. Bakura's time was coming to an end. He smiled again as he thought back to his yami. His yami was going to suffer, just as much as He had suffered. _

"_The time's near Bakura. You're time's up," Ryou said out loud as the moon broke through the dark clouds that hovered around it. Nothing could destroy the moon, and nothing could destroy Ryou's beliefs. The time had come, to regain the city he once knew._

_The rays of the moon began to get brighter as the dark clouds began to disperse. The moon stood in the dark sky within its own glory. The time was definitely coming near._

--

**Chapter 7**

**Risks**

"Our luck's really getting better isn't it?" Tea was beaming with happiness as she stroked the long black hair of the little girl. It had been three days since she and Seto had caused a ruckus at Marik's palace. Not only that, they had even been able to rescue Joey and Duke.

"Definitely! Who would've thought that thirteen others were able to escape?" Duke stated as he stood against the tree trunk. Seto was now inside the cave with the prisoners that had managed to escape. He had gone out that day to gather more information. To his surprise, he ended up coming face to face with a few prisoners. Amongst the crew was a little girl. It was one of the first little children Tea had seen in some time. She was adorable, but quite famished. The poor child was too thin Tea thought when she first glanced at her.

"Is it over now? Can I see my mommy and daddy?" The little girl had a sweet little voice, almost melodious. Tea smiled at her as she held her closer. The girl seemed to be no more than seven years old.

"Soon Rose. We just have to be a bit patient," Tea said. She then looked towards the cave. Everyone was inside, all happy to have finally escaped. Seto was also inside trying to obtain any information that could be useful.

The wind was blowing lightly, running its breezy strands through her hair. The air held the smell of rain, yet it smelt sweet. She was happy again, things were finally beginning to change. She couldn't help but smile again as the little girl jumped from the little spider that was crawling up her leg. Tea took the spider off and placed it on a nearby rock. Even the insects were beginning to come out from hiding.

"Seto's still trying to gain more information in there?" Tea asked as Duke let out a yawn.

"Apparently, it seems that some more people were able to escape. Marik must be pissed off about now. Not to mention Bakura fuming too."

"If more were able to escape, isn't it a wise idea to go out and look for these people? There's a chance that Mai and Serenity might have been able to escape," Tea said with hope lingering in her voice. If only they could find more of their friends, she knew that everyone of them would be happy again and able to fight back without a problem.

Duke simply nodded. He looked into the trees, as if he were trying to see past them. "Maybe we should go out tonight? I have a feeling that the people that escaped are using the day to hide, and night to move."

Tea also gazed out into the same direction. He was right, there was a high chance that some people might have been hiding in the daytime. She smiled again as she looked towards Rose again. The little girl was now playing with the spider and giggling. It was a beautiful sight to see. Tea never knew how serene the sound of a childs laughter could ever be.

"We'll go tonight then."

--

Bakura was angered with the news that came his way. Many of the prisoners were able to escape after the blast. The toll had reached twenty one individuals that had managed to escape. These individuals were supposed to have been part of the party preparations. Some of them were supposed to be in charge of entertainment, others as servers. Now Bakura had to find more prisoners to prepare for the party.

'Such a hassle,' he thought as he went knocked on Marik's door. He waited until he received Mariks consent to come in.

"Take a seat my friend," Marik said as he sat on a chair. Bakura took a seat on the opposite chair. It'd been a while since he last came to Marik's room. Nothing much had changed though. The curtains, bed sheets, walls, everything was still white. Some touches of gray were visible, but no colour was pasted. Colours tended to get Marik very excited. He found that black, gray, and white, were perfect colours that suited him best. Bakura then turned his head towards the left where he saw the closed door.

"Have you even checked up on him?" He asked as he sipped from his glass of wine that Marik had poured him. Bakura didn't really care for what happened with Marik and his hikari, but it was all thanks to Malik that they were able to obtain the position they had today afterall.

Marik followed Bakura's gaze and let a smile cross his features. "He's still alive, if that's what you're asking. He was a fool to begin with." Marik stated as he drank from his glass.

"He was. Too bad you ended up turning against him too, even though he helped you escape the Shadow Realm in the first place," Bakura laughed.

"Well, that boy does need to be taught a lesson. Afterall, he wavered during the match between the dumb Pharaoh and I, then wavered again when we began taking prisoners."

Bakura smirked. "You're right, if they're not with you, then they're against you."

"Forget about him, what's happened to the party arrangements?" Marik asked with keen interest.

Bakura sighed. Marik was always the type to get straight to the point. Bakura looked towards Marik again and motioned for a refill. Marik grasped the bottle and began to pour Bakura another glass.

"Everything is still pretty much intact. Although we lost some of our prisoners that were supposed to be part of the preparations, we still have a lot more of them that we can use. I've already got people out there to track down those that escaped. It'll take a week at most to find them. The cities got no places to hide in anymore. It won't be long before they all come back once again."

Marik smirked again. "When you do find the prisoners, make sure you torture them a bit before killing them. It'll set the rest of them straight too. No one escapes from here, and lives, is that understood?"

Bakura merely closed his eyes as the grape wine slid down his throat. He loved the sweet and bitter taste that it left in his mouth. He then nodded as he listened to the soothing music that was playing in the room.

--

Seto looked at the faces of the prisoners again. They all looked famished and tired. He let out a sigh and told them all to eat and then to sleep. They needed the sleep and food more than anything else. Seto got up as he instructed Joey to feed and take care of the prisoners. Joey nodded as Seto went opened up the wall. He glanced around until he saw Duke, Tea, and the little girl that Tea had grown attached to in just a few hours. He slowly made his way over. The first one to notice him was the little girl. She looked up from her crouching position near a rock and began to wave at him happily.

Seto was hit with a pang of pain in his heart. She was so much like Mokuba. She held the same spirit the little boy used to have.

Tea looked towards him and waved as well. She looked so beautiful in the sunlight. She really was becoming more like her old self once again, and that made Seto smile sincerely. It was a good thing that the girl was beginning to become normal again.

"Anything new with them in there," Duke asked as Seto stood near them now.

"Not much. Just that they were supposed to have taken part in the preparations for the party. Seems that we might've taken away some of the talents that were supposed to perform." Seto smiled again as he saw the little girl run towards a bunch of flowers by a nearby tree.

Tea was now laying down on the grass and gazing up at the sky. "So, when's the party?"

Seto looked at her. He then looked towards the sky too. It hadn't been this beautiful out in a while. "Apparently, it's in two days."

"So soon? Then wouldn't they be cancelling the party because of the blast?" Duke inquired.

Set let out a sigh again. "That would've been wise, but that's not the case. Marik wants to continue with the party plans. He doesn't want to be seen as 'weak' by postponing it."

"That doesn't leave us with too much time then. What are we going to do?" Tea asked as the little girl came back and sat in her laps. The little girl was holding onto a bunch of yellow flowers. It seemed to be the first time in a long time that the little girl had seen the beauty of nature.

"You're right. Even though you were able to obtain an invite, how do you plan on entering the palace without being caught? The security will be extremely tight. As far as I know, everyone will be screened at the doors. No one is allowed to enter with any weapons or anything suspicious. How do you plan on escaping and carrying out the plan without getting caught?" Duke asked. He was obviously worried about everything that was happening. The party was two days away, leaving them with very little time to come up with a well constructed plan.

Seto looked at both Tea and Duke. His face was stern and serious. He then looked at the little girl again. He crouched down in front of Tea and the little girl, and took out the small leaf that had managed to find a way to tangle itself in the girl's hair.

"We have to take action no matter what. There are probably a lot more innocent people like Rose in there. In two days, we will take action. We will help others escape for sure." Seto ruffled the little girls hair as she smiled up at him. He then gazed at Tea who sat directly across from him. She was staring into his eyes. He knew that she agreed with him. He knew that no matter what, Tea would do anything to help the people that were in the prisons. She'd been there long enough to see how people were being treated and what they had to suffer. She felt compassionate towards each and every one of them.

"Even so, how do you manage to get in there without being recognized? Everyone knows what Seto Kaiba looks like!" Duke exclaimed again.

Tea looked at Duke and nodded. "Well, it's been three years since this whole thing began. People have already forgotten many faces, and all posters and images of the world we used to know have been destroyed. There's a good chance that many people have forgotten all about the past. The S-men are probably all cocky and they probably don't even remember the faces of the people from before all this. If it is the S-men that are going to be at the gates, then I don't think we'll have too much trouble getting past them. We are supposed to impersonate Whang Zi and Tiang Hui from overseas (NOTE: Just made up the names, supposed to be some powerful people from China). No one really knows what these people look like."

"Even so, it'll be hard. Especially after the bombing, don't you think they'll be more careful with the party?"

Tea looked at Seto this time as Duke asked his question. He was right, security would be even worse, and they might even figure out a way to ID the guests. If they were to do that, they'd be caught for impersonating in no time. Seto smirked.

"I already got that covered. The new security feature is that they will now have an image of the invited guests. When we get to the front gates, they'll be taking the invites, as well as checking the stack of papers that they'll have. All we need to do is change the original picture that is on their database the night before they print it."

"But isn't that dangerous? What if Bakura or Marik sees it? What if someone recognizes you?" Duke was surprised with the plans. This was Seto Kaiba's plan? The so-called great and intelligent Seto Kaiba?! There were too many flaws in the plan, not to mention a lot of risks. Seto was supposed to be smarter than that. He was supposed to be able to get through this in a better way. None of this made any sense to Duke.

Tea glanced at Seto with worry in her eyes. Rose had fallen asleep with her head leaning against Tea's lap. Seto moved to sit beside Tea. He held onto her right hand tightly as he fixed his gaze on Duke.

"Bakura and Marik don't seem to be the type to leave things for last minute. The two of them will be going through the list of guests tonight, maybe even tomorrow. After that the list will be printed and the list will no longer be visible to Marik or Bakura. It'll be left in the care of their troops. Our only chance to take any action is to hack into their system at that crucial moment when they will be printing out the images and list. I know I'm taking a huge risk here, but the truth is this is the only way. We need to take the risk if we're going to try and succeed here."

Seto was right. The only way they could do anything now was by taking risks. If they didn't take any risks, then they would have no chance of getting where they were today.

"And don't forget, the only reason you and the others managed to escape was because of the risks we took. Heck, even all of you took a risk to escape. If we don't take these risks, there's no way we can progress."

Duke seemed to ponder at the thought again. He finally let out a sigh in defeat. Although he still was against the plan, he didn't see any other option. They had to take a risk no matter what they did, and they had to pray that luck would be on their side this time.

Tea looked at the defeated Duke. She knew he wasn't really happy with the plan, but it was better than nothing.

"Who will be going then?" Duke said after a moment of silence.

"Seto will be impersonating Whang Zi. I'll be his wife, Tiang Hui. We'll need two others to play our servants I guess," Tea piped in. The truth was that Seto had always been cautious when it came to Tea being involved in risky plans. Even now, he seemed to frown as she talked.

She caught his gaze again and gave him a stern look. "I need a dress Seto."

Seto let out a sigh in defeat, "We'll find you one tonight."

Tea smiled as she got up with Rose in her arms. She was glad to see that Seto was not objecting this time. After all, he'd be contradicting himself if he refused to let her go. She turned around and headed towards the cave with the sleeping girl in her arms.

Seto and Duke both watched her head back to the cave.

"Will she be okay? Isn't this too dangerous for her?" Duke said with a serious expression on his face.

Seto still kept his gaze on her. She was overflowing with joy and happiness as opposed to fear.

"She won't listen to anyone. No matter how much I don't want her to go back to that place, she won't give up. Even if I force her to stay here, she'll find her way there. It's better to keep her by me then let her get caught trying to enter the palace."

Duke nodded. He then gasped as he thought about the situation. "But she's at an even greater risk than you are. She'll be recognized by everyone there. The S-men all knew what she looked like since she was 'off-bounds' to everyone. Even some of the prisoners knew what she looked like."

Seto was tense at that moment. What Duke said was right. Everyone would know what Tea looked like. They might even remember her better than anyone else. Everyone had known Tea as Bakura's 'toy'. They'd all known what she looked like. Seto remembered the day he first saw her ten months ago...

_**...**_

_He could hear a faint voice as he moved quietly through the dark streets. He'd been wandering these streets, trying to find Mokuba for nearly a year now. He'd lost his brother one night when they came across some prisoners. The prisoners were trying to run away when Mokuba was pulled into the crowd. Seto followed the crowd of fifty or so men, women, and children as far as he could to look for Mokuba, but he couldn't see him. It was the last time he saw Mokuba. Seto hated himself for letting Mokuba's hand go during the stampede. If he had held on just a little while longer, he would still have been with his brother._

_As he grazed by the bricks, the small voice was getting a little louder. Although it was still faint, he could tell that someone was whimpering... crying. Seto's heart took a leap. _

"_Mokuba?" He whispered as he got closer to the voice._

_The voice seemed to go quiet at that moment. Instead, he heard feet shuffling around the corner. Thinking that it was Mokuba, Seto broke out into a sprint. He turned the corner to see chocolate brown hair flying in the wind. He recognized the silhouette in the dark. Although he had never really liked Yu-gi and his friends, he was hit with a sense of happiness to be able to see someone he recognized alive. _

"_Gardner?" He called out to her as she was walking. She came to a sudden halt. Tea seemed to be gazing at something ahead of her. He slowly got closer to her. Seto could tell something was wrong with her. He wasn't even sure if she'd heard him._

_He was just a few feet away before he saw her dash towards something glinting just ahead. It took him a second to realize what she had seen and what she was planning on doing. He quickly dashed after her and grabbed onto her hands. She let out a loud cry along with uncontrollable sobs. _

"_Gardner! It's me! Calm down!" He tried to say as she was trying to break free from his grasp. She was frightened and doing whatever she could to get out of his arms. Seto tried to get her to calm down. She was still screaming and crying uncontrollably._

"_No! Let go! Let go! Stop! Please! No!"_

_He still held a firm grasp on her as he stared at her with wide eyes. She was making too much noise and would end up attracting attention. If that happened, both of them would be caught. He lightly, but firmly hit her head to knock her out. It worked as she went limp in his arms. He put her down on the ground as he tried to pry away the bloody dagger she had pulled out of the body that had been in front of her. He was still shocked to have seen Tea Gardener, of all people out on the streets and about to commit suicide. _

_He picked her up and brought her to a dimly lit area in the alleyway that they were in. He placed her on her back and gasped at what he saw. The once cheerful, bright, and healthy looking girl that used to challenge him was no longer visible. Instead, he was met with her haggard appearance. Swollen lips, dark circles under her eyes, bruises all over her neck, wrists, stomach, and even her legs was what he saw. There was a cut on her lip, as well as a cut on her neck. Bite marks were visible on her neckline. Her clothes were all tattered and barely covering her anymore. She was too skinny now. Her bones were visible as the skin seemed to be sinking in. _

_In the faint glow, he saw a small little pendant hanging off of her neck. He picked it up to see the letter 'B' carved into what seemed to be a thorn on a grapevine. He knew at once what had happened, and just who the 'B' most likely was. Angered at what he saw he walked towards the body that Tea had dashed towards. There lay a girl, about the same age with brown hair, slightly darker then Tea's. The body of the girl seemed to indicate that the girl had died two days ago. He could see the knife wound that the girl had suffered, as well as the insects that were slowly devouring her._

_He then looked towards Tea again. He slowly walked towards her and crouched down. Tea had helped Mokuba out many times before, and Seto had always been grateful towards her. Now it was his chance to help her out. He slowly picked her up and took her into the darker area by the body of the young girl. The young girl looked nothing like Tea, but she held similar features. The only way to protect Tea would be to fake her death. That way, everyone would've thought that Tea was dead._

_He gently took off the necklace that Tea was wearing and placed it on the dead body. Both girls had tattered clothes and seemed to be similar. However, anyone could tell that the two were nothing alike. Tea's skin tone was much lighter, and her facial features were completely different. The only way to disguise the death would've been to burn the body._

_Seto looked at the dead girl. He couldn't believe what the world had come down to now. People in other countries had begun to follow Marik's example of dominance. Marik, also had begun his plans on world dominance. Only a few countries had succeeded in following Marik's example, but that was still quite an accomplishment._

_He sighed and picked up the dead girl. He carried her to a nearby lamp. He then placed her underneath the lamp. He then picked up some wood and let it catch on fire. Slowly, he placed the fire near her face._

"_I'm sorry," he said as he saw her face begin to catch fire. He then watched as the fire began to spread to her neckline and the other side of her face. He could see the pendant glinting in the fire, dancing, almost as thought it was happy. He couldn't keep staring at the burning body. He turned around and walked back to the knocked out girl. _

"_I'm sorry," he said again as he looked into the sky. He then reached down and picked up Tea. For now, he would take her back to his cave where he had been hiding out for some time now. He would wait until she woke up to gain some information about what was happening, and maybe he could learn something about Mokuba._

"_I'll find you Mokuba. I promise."_

**_..._**

Seto was still tense as he remembered what Tea had looked like the first time he saw her. The image was still fresh in his head. He wanted to kill Bakura for what he had done to her. He had vowed to take Bakura's life.

"She's not as weak as she used to be now. She's much stronger now. She'll be able to take care of herself when it comes to those S-men. As for the recognizing part, the party just so happens to have the masquerade touch to it. We'll be able to hide our identities for some time with the masks. Besides, I won't let her be caught," Seto stated firmly. There was no way he wanted her to suffer something like that again. Although Tea had learned to fight and use a sword with him soon after he found her, he knew she would still be no match for Bakura. Tea had suffered from constant rape and torture by Bakura, and it would still be too hard for her to come face to face with her predator. No matter how much better she'd gotten, she'd still go weak when she came face to face with him. That had been the case most recently too, especially when she came close to being discovered by him at the park that night.

Seto tightened his fists again. He would not let her be caught again. He would make sure that he killed Bakura for what he had done.

"Watch out Bakura."

--

"Wow! They fell asleep," Tea said as she placed Rose down on the blanket. Joey looked up after covering up another man that fell asleep near the entrance.

"I know. They were tired and exhausted after all that, poor things." Joey took a seat against the wall as Tea came over to him. She then took a seat beside him.

Joey leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. "I thought you were dead," he said quietly.

Tea placed her head on her arms as she held her knees close to her chest. She gazed out and slowly said, "so did I."

"How... are you holding up?" He asked her hesitantly as he turned his head to gaze at her.

She didn't say anything at the start. Instead, she closed her eyes. After a moment of silence and answered.

"... I'm hanging in there."

Joey knew that he shouldn't pry on the issue for too long. It was a good thing to see her happy and well now. He let out a smile. He took her by the shoulder and placed her head on his chest, causing her to lean up against him.

"You always were the strong one," he said with a chuckle.

She let out a small smile too as she closed her eyes against his chest. Joey had always been a good friend of hers. Sure he'd been a pain sometimes, but she had come to respect him. She valued his friendship and treated him as a brother. She'd been from a single child in her family and had always wanted to an older brother. She'd never thought that she'd find that brother in Joey.

Joey went quiet, cherishing the silence that followed. He then looked down at Tea. Her eyes were still closed as she lay snugly on his chest. He then placed his hand on her head.

"What's the deal with you and Kaiba?" He whispered.

Tea smiled with her eyes closed.

"I love him."

--

Seto and Duke both walked into the cave quietly. They glanced around the cave to see all the sleeping forms. At that moment Seto's eyes met Joey who was leaning up against the cave wall.

"What's the deal with you and Kaiba?" He whispered.

Seto slowly made his way over to the two while he kept his eyes fixated on Joey. He then saw Tea smile with her eyes closed.

"I love him."

He now stood in front of the two and let a smile graze his lips. He then reached out for Tea's arm. He firmly grasped her arm and pulled her up gently as she opened her eyes in surprise. Even Joey seemed to jump from the sudden loss of weight that had been against him. Both of their eyes had shot open and both had given a small shout. Duke stood by the entrance watching the whole scene in amusement.

Seto held onto Tea gently, but securely as he stared into her eyes. He pulled her closer until her body was firmly pressed up against his own. "I love you too," he said as he let his lips meet hers. He left one arm around her waist while the other made its way to support her neck. He gently pulled her in closer as she placed her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.

Joey was still sitting on the ground and watching the whole think in shock right in front of him. Duke was beginning to snicker at the entrance.

Seto and Tea finally let go of each other's lips and just stared into each other's eyes. Both of them were wearing smiles. Tea closed her eyes and placed her arms around Seto's waist as she placed her head against his chest. She could hear his heart beating calmly and it soothed her. Seto held onto Tea as well as he turned his head towards Joey.

"Don't hold her so closely mutt." He smirked when he saw Joey's face turn from surprise to anger.

"Who you callin' Mutt?!"

--

"Yu-gi! Where the hell did you go now!"

He slowly made his way through the door of the abandoned building. He knew there were S-men around here, but he had to find Yu-gi.

"Yami! Over here!" He heard Yu-gi from his left. He turned through another door and came across Yu-gi sitting by the window.

"You need to stop Yu-gi! Marik and Bakura are desperately searching for us. We can't let them catch us! Not yet," Yami said with disappointment in his voice.

"I know, but look at how beautiful the sky looks today," Yu-gi said as he gazed into the blue sky.

Yami came closer to the window of the abandoned building. He too looked up and smiled. He continued to look up for a few more minutes until he thought he heard a noise. He looked towards the spot Yu-gi had been sitting not too long ago.

"Damn it! Yu-gi! Where did you go now?!"

--

**Done! I know, long time! I didn't even edit this one, so I'm sorry for any grammer or spelling mistakes that you might catch! But I think I'm starting to get over the writer's block now! I actually had fun writing this chapter! We have some more scenes around Seto and Tea, and we've set the stage for our main event! Next chapter will be the party scene... and the long awaited encounter between Bakura and Tea! OOOOOoo the excitement is starting! I know, the story might be a bit confusing since you sort of need to piece things together, but if you have any questions just let me know :P Anywho hope you all enjoyed and let me know what you think! :P Thank you to all again for their continued support! **


	8. Chapter 8: Colours

**Nightmare City**

**Hey all! I'm really trying my best to start updating at a more regular pace. Only way I'll ever finish the story is if I can use my time wisely! :P Anyways, I won't be rambling on for long. Thanks to everyone that are still reading this.. and all new comers J hopefully you all enjoy! J R& R!**

**Warning: This chapter contains sexual/ mature content!**

_Disclaimers: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or the characters, and this story is purely fictional. If it does resemble anything, it is by pure coincidence! Thank you and enjoy!_

**Summary:** The world that they once knew exists no more. No more freedom, no more happiness, no more life. Everything changed after that one mistake. Whoever knew that trusting someone could cost the world its life? Who ever knew that one little mistake could separate friends, and bring destruction upon humanity? Who ever knew? (Is set after Battle City, a different take on things. Is also a little Dark and different from my other story. Pairings: SetoTea , mainly!, and for purposes of this story, all Hikari's and Yami's have their own bodies!)

Things to look for (All the chapters follow this guide):

_Flashbacks_

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

(NOTE from me)

_Last Chapter:_

"_You need to stop Yu-gi! Marik and Bakura are desperately searching for us. We can't let them catch us! Not yet," Yami said with disappointment in his voice._

"_I know, but look at how beautiful the sky looks today," Yu-gi said as he gazed into the blue sky._

_Yami came closer to the window of the abandoned building. He too looked up and smiled. He continued to look up for a few more minutes until he thought he heard a noise. He looked towards the spot Yu-gi had been sitting not too long ago._

"_Damn it! Yu-gi! Where did you go now?!"_

--

**Chapter 8**

**Colours**

I let out a sigh as I watched Kaiba begin typing away. Tonight was the night that he was going to try and hack into the palace's computer. He was going to bet everything on this plan that he had so much pride in it.

I looked around to see all the sleeping forms. Thirteen prisoners were found by Kaiba when he'd gone out to find more information. Amongst them were middle-aged men, two women, and a young child. Based on what they said, eight others had managed to escape into the desolate city... but Kaiba never found them. Joey suggested that they may just be hiding. Even though he was trying to be optimistic, each and every one of us knew that there was a chance that those eight had been recaptured. If that were the case, then those eight would have been killed. No one wanted to mention the consequences and thus stayed quiet.

"Finally," Kaiba's voice chimed. He had finally been able to hack into the system.

I took a glance at the screen. In front of me lay a long list of names with a small picture right beneath each name. Beside each name was a number.

"What's the number for?"

Kaiba had already begun to try and change the image of Whang Zi.

"It's the number of reservations needed."

'Of course,' I thought as I looked closely at the images and names that were plastered on the screen. There had to be quite a lot of people coming. The list seemed to go on and on, and beside each person were numbers ranging from two, all the way to nineteen.

"Looks like a big party," I stated as I saw the real Whang Zi turn into a dark haired man with brown eyes and a moustache. Kaiba was planning on disguising himself well. By changing his hair colour and eyes colour, he was planning on infiltrating their base. I looked again and sighed. No matter how much I looked at it, the plan was way too risky. Kaiba was prepared to risk his life, as well as Tea's just to get in there to 'try' to get others out.

"Devlin, relax." Kaiba held a stern look in his eyes as he stared at me. He knew how much I disproved of the plan but there wasn't much I could do.

"This better work," I said as I gave Kaiba one last glance. He nodded with a smile gracing his lips. I had to admit, the man didn't lose his stubbornness nor his 'superiority' air that he always used to hold. He was still pretty much the same Kaiba, save for the 'tough' appearance he now bare. I turned around as I headed over to sleep. It was late and everyone else had already fallen asleep. Tomorrow was the big day, and everyone had to be ready.

"Night." I said as I closed my eyes to sleep.

--

There was a lot of noise within the palace tonight. People were shuffling through the halls with great amounts of items in their hands. The whole palace was busy preparing for the big banquet. Bakura merely walked by these people with a grapes in his hand. He couldn't help but smile at the obsession Marik had with this party. It seemed too childish to worry over a dumb party. Marik was very adamant about the party and felt that it was a way to gain a footing in the international world. Marik was slowly trying to spread his wings over to others and he felt that this party was a good way to take control.

Bakura continued to walk by as lights were flickering and papers were flying past him. Bakura let out another smile as he finished the last of his grapes.

"Hope it's worth it."

--

"Alright! You're good to go Kaiba." Duke and Joey both stood in awe as they compared the man before them to the image that was on the screen.

"That outta do it, I'd say." Joey responded as he held a smirk on his face.

Kaiba merely sighed as he looked at the screen again. He was trying to memorize some of the names and faces on the screen. He'd already done the research on Whang Zi... but the man knew too many people. He'd just finished getting ready for the party as he sat there looking up the names.

"You both know what to do right?" Kaiba asked as he reached the bottom of the list. He looked towards the both of them and saw them nod in unison. 'At least they know the seriousness of the situation,' Kaiba thought as he stood up. He then walked past them, deeper into the cave. Tea was getting ready just ahead of them and he had to make sure she knew the plans.

As he turned the corner, he glimpsed a long blue gown that was grazing the floor. Tea's back was towards him as the little girl they had found sat facing Tea with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Big sister is pretty!" She said as she saw Seto approaching. Seto smiled brightly as he caught a glimpse of Tea. Her yellow gown snugly grasped her body and flowed along her legs, stopping just at her knees. She still had to put on her brown contacts that he had placed for her. Her hair was left down, brushing past her shoulders and down her back. It had grown a lot but it suited her well.

"You look stunning," he said as she turned to face him. She smiled as she placed her hand on his tie.

"Your tie needs fixing," she frowned as she undid it. He stood there and watched her while she redid his tie for her. He was glad he had found her. Who knew that the once annoying girl that used to talk back to him would become someone that he would love so much. If he hadn't found her that night, then they would have never become close as they were today. 'I would've missed out', he thought as he absent-mindedly placed his arms around her waist.

As she finished fixing his tie she looked into his eyes. He stared back and sighed.

"You're sure you want to do this?" He finally said.

She placed her arms around his neck and pulled his ears to her lips. "I'm positive," she stated as she placed her lips against his own. Soft lips met soft as they held each other closely. Both of them held onto each other as they continued to kiss gently. Tea was filled with happiness at this moment. She was glad that Seto had found her, and that he had grown to love her. The two of them were a perfect match and she couldn't be happier. Regardless of her dark past, he stood by her side and continued to try and help her move on. He taught her to defend and attack, and helped her become a stronger person.

"Ewww!" The little girl's voice shattered through the silent air. Both Seto and Tea suddenly broke apart and looked towards the girl. They had completely forgotten about her.

Tea smiled as she patted the little girl's head before she looked towards Seto. "Alright... it's time to go."

--

"Okay everyone! Listen up! You all are going to be the servers in the party tonight. You've all already been told what to do and where to go," came the bellowing voice of the S-man that stood in front of the group. "You're task is to serve food and beverages to the guests with as minimal interactions as possible..."

Mai merely sighed as she stood amongst the sixteen or so prisoners that were all wearing a uniform now. She was lucky to have been picked to serve and mingle with the guests tonight. She couldn't help but feel that this party may be a chance for some change. She then lifted her fingers and looked at her nails. 'Ah! We can't even get dressy for the party,' she thought as she completely missed out on what the S-man was saying at the moment. 'Hopefully all goes well today. Just maybe we might be able to create a distraction and then try to es—' "Ouch!"

Mai quickly stood alert as she felt a jolt through her left foot. She looked to her left as she came across the young girl staring at her with pleading eyes.

"Mai! Stop zoning out and listen. The man keeps looking at you," Serenity whispered as she faced the S-man again.

Mai looked up towards the man and noticed the glare he was throwing her way. He then looked at the crowd again and smiled. His attention came on Mai again as he stated his final words.

"If anyone thinks that they have a chance of escaping this party, guess again. Security is tight, and if we see even one person in the wrong area then we will kill you on the spot. Regardless of it being a mistake or 'getting lost', you will perish. Is that understood?"

Mai frowned at the man as she and everyone else muttered a 'yes sir'. 'Stupid men,' she thought as the group was then ushered towards the party hall. The guests would be arriving soon, and the party was about to begin.

As Mai entered the big hall, she couldn't help but let a small 'wow' escape her lips. The place looked absolutely stunning. The room was huge. A long and heavy chandelier was hanging in the middle of the room. Beneath the chandelier was a huge dance floor. It gave off such a brilliant shine that Mai thought that it may have been made out of marble. Around the dance floor stood round tables with eight seats each table. There had to be at least one hundred tables there. Each table held a beautiful crimson coloured flower in a clear vase. Around the flower were little tea-light candles floating in a circle around the flower. Mai looked closely and saw names written on little pieces of paper that were stuck to the crimson flowers.

"Talk about excessive," Mai whispered as they were all told to line up under the chandelier. Serenity again looked at Mai and gave her an anxious look.

Mai glanced her way again and gave her a reassuring smile. Mai knew how frightened Serenity was. She'd just been caught not too long ago, but she was terrified of the S-men. The moment Serenity met up with Mai, Mai felt herself become stronger. Before Serenity's arrival, Mai had begun to lose the courage she once used to have. She had felt that perhaps they couldn't escape and that her destiny might have lied in dying as a prisoner. But that all changed when she saw Serenity. She was glad to see that Serenity was alive and well, but also sad that she'd been caught. However, amongst those two emotions, she felt a little bit of strength. She knew she had to be stronger to protect Serenity from any danger that lurked within the palace. Mai had always been a single child, and having Serenity around made her feel like a big sister.

"Alright people. The first of the guests have arrived. It's time to get to work." The S-man shouted as a soft melody began to echo within the room. All the people began to move as they prepared to welcome the first set of guests. Mai held Serenity's hand as they stood side-by-side at the entrance, waiting for the guests to arrive.

"Don't wander off too far from me," She whispered as the first guest came in sight.

--

"Welcome Mr. Wasawa, enjoy the party sir," The man at the entrance said.

Tea was awed by the decorations that were plastered all over the entrance. Long crimson drapes were bordering the gates at the entrance. Surrounding those drapes were tiny little white lights. The whole scene sparkled and brought a feeling of excitement to the viewer. As she was guided through the gates by Seto, she looked around at the massive garden. It seemed to be tamed and stunningly beautiful in the moonlight. Tea had never seen the entrance to the palace before, not while she was held as a prisoner, nor when she broke into the palace for information. She never knew that a beautiful sight such as this still existed in their dark times. Even the night sky held a serene and calm feeling. The stars were visibly bright as the moonlight shined with brilliance.

A soft breeze went through Tea's hair as she breathed in the fresh air. The night felt so beautiful and peaceful. Heck, Tea hadn't felt the world to be this wonderful since her days in school. It was such an amazing night and Tea couldn't help but let excitement run through her blood. It was sort of funny how the calm and tranquil night was rampant on the land full of darkness. The palace was the place of their enemy, and while the prisoners were suffering from the torture and fear, the palace and the guests were enjoying the serenity of the beautiful sky. Tea let a small frown display itself on her lips. She couldn't believe how much the poor prisoners were missing out on the beauty of the world. Nature was always one thing that would show life. It was something that would always represent the beauty and serenity of life and birth. It was a symbol of change, of movement, of existence. It was a symbol of hope. Whenever Tea looked at the moon and stars, or at the plants and flowers, she always wondered how they could continue to grow and shine amongst these dark times. How could nature continue to strive while the people were being oppressed and coerced.

"We have to succeed Seto," she whispered as she locked her arms with his. He looked towards her through his black and silver mask that adorned his upper face.

"We will."

Tea looked straight forward as her eyes met with the man that stood in front of her. He was obviously an S-man. She tried not to show her anxiety as she stared right at him and smiled. He seemed like a relatively average man. He wore a dark grey suit with a blue dress shirt underneath. He had on a grey tie as well as a blue mask that was placed snugly against his eyes.

"Welcome sir and madam," he began, "may I see your invite?"

Seto snapped his fingers as Thomas came forward with the invite. Tea looked towards him as he approached them. She still held concern for him as her eyes met his. He'd volunteered to act as one of their servants. He was willing to go back into the place that he managed to escape from after so many years. He didn't want to let the others suffer and he was willing to risk his life to help with the plan. Tea let a small and reassuring smile show. She could tell he was still nervous. Even though Joey and Duke helped him with his disguise, Thomas was worried that someone would recognize him. After all, it wasn't too long ago that he had escaped.

Thomas handed the invite to the man at the entrance. The man looked wearily at Thomas and then opened up the invite. "May I ask for you to lift your mask sir?"

Tea's heart skipped a beat as Seto raised his mask and placed it on his forehead. She tried her best to keep her face calm and smiling. She had to act as though she had nothing to hide, and no matter what happened they had to get through the entrance. She couldn't help but let Duke's words ring in her ears.

"_But isn't that dangerous? What if Bakura or Marik sees it? What if someone recognizes you?"_

'What if someone recognizes him?' She thought as the man in front of her was still inspecting the invite, his list, and Seto's face. She couldn't help but let fear run through her as she tried her best to stay calm. She suddenly looked up at Seto's eyes through her own mask. He'd just given her hand a small squeeze, his way of saying that 'it was okay'. She let out a small and silent sigh as she recomposed herself.

The man then looked up from his list and smiled. "Welcome Mr. Whang Zi. You may now enter."

Tea was filled with sudden happiness when they were allowed to enter. The hacking had worked. Tea and Seto began to enter when they suddenly heard a 'stop' from behind them. Both of them froze as they turned around to face the man again. Thomas had just been stopped by the man. Seto quickly approached the man.

"Is there a problem?" Seto asked in a confident and powerful voice. He really gave off the aura of someone with great power and influence.

The man at the entrance turned and looked at Seto. He gave him a small bow before he began. "I'm sorry sir, but no servants are allowed to enter past this point. I'm sorry for any inconveinice sir." The man was obviously affected by Seto's tone of voice. He seemed to feel that if he offended Seto, he might face some serious trouble.

Seto let out a sigh. "Very well then. Samoht, wait for us at the car." Seto stared hard at Thomas. Tea knew they were communicating with each other without words. After all, there was no car for Thomas to go back to.

Thomas bowed as he gave Seto a nod. "Yes sir. Please enjoy yourselves." Thomas then gave Tea a small smile and bowed towards her too before he turned around and walked towards the gate.

Seto then turned back to the man and apologized before coming back to Tea's side. He pulled down his mask as they looked ahead.

Tea stiffened slightly as she looked straight ahead at the sinister stares that were looking at her. Up ahead was a huge portrait of Marik and Bakura. Both men stood holding a glass of wine with a crimson background. The colour itself seemed to be so easily affected by its subjects. Outside, the beauty of nature and the artistic appeal of the palace brought forth the crimson drapes with such beauty. However, the figures of both Marik and Bakura with the crimson background brought forth such a menacing appeal. The picture itself was screaming evil, power, and absolute control.

Seto again gave her hand another squeeze as he continued to walk forward. S-men were still in the hall on either side presenting them with greetings. Tea quickly pasted her smile on her face again as she kept up with Seto's pace. She couldn't keep letting her guard down like that. She felt that she had to be stronger if they were planning on accomplishing their plan. They already made it through the difficult part of entering the palace, now they had to help the prisoners escape. She thought back to a few hours before...

_Seto stood at the table and placed his finger onto a relatively round object on the paper below._

"_This is the kitchen. Most of the prisoners will be here as cooks and servers to prepare the food for the party. Over here," he said as he pointed to a smaller square about fifteen centimetres to the left of the kitchen, "is where they are going to keep the performers."_

_Tea looked closely at the blueprint of the palace. They had to memorize as much of the building as possible._

"_And over here," he stated as he pointed to the second piece of paper, "is where the rest of the prisoners will be kept. The dungeons."_

_Tea stared at the two pages. They would have a hard time to get to the dungeons without getting caught._

"_How do you plan on getting to the dungeons?" Duke asked from his seat by the computer._

_Seto stayed quiet for a minute as he seemed to be carefully forming his words in his mind. "We don't. Our goal is to help those in the party."_

_Duke, Tea, and Joey both looked up at him in silence. _

"_What d'you mean? How can you not help those in the dungeons?" Joey asked with slight irritation in his voice._

_Seto looked towards him quietly. Again he seemed to be forming his words in his head._

"_It'll be near impossible to penetrate the dungeons. Security __**is**__ tight. It'll be hard enough to help those in the party escape, but near impossible to get away to the lower floor. We have to take it slowly. Our goal is to help more people escape, not all. We need to make sure that we can gain more allies in order to go back and help those that we weren't able to help today."_

_Tea sighed as she thought it over. She could see Duke about to say something but she quickly cut him off. "He's right. We're already taking the huge risk of going in when they'll most likely be expecting us. They probably think we'll try to enter the dungeons since it'll be less quiet there. Since security is tighter around the dungeons, security will be very slightly merciful at the party. I don't think they'll be expecting us amongst the guests as much as they'd be expecting us blasting our way into the dungeons."_

_All of them went silent again as they studied the maps. _

"_So are we ready for the plan?" Seto asked as he looked at each of them. They all gave a firm nod before he let a smirk appear on his face._

"_Then let's party."_

"You're in?" came a loud voice in Tea's left ear. Tea slightly jumped in the middle of the hallway. Both of them had stopped walking as an S-man to Tea's right looked at her with an arched eye-brow. She quickly recovered and gave him a small smile. "Sorry, I thought I saw a bug." The man merely nodded as they continued to walk towards the end of the hall. Seto let out a quiet growl as he tried to keep his face calm.

"Sorry. I was too loud," came Joey's voice.

"There must really be a bug," Seto muttered to Tea.

Tea smiled as she heard her friend through the small ear-piece she had in her ears.

"Sorry guys, I'll make sure I keep him away from the microphone," Duke's voice peeped in.

Both Seto and Tea then turned left as they reached the end of the hallway. Up ahead they could see the entrance to the hall, and this area held no S-men at all.

"We're about to enter, all set?" Seto quickly, yet quietly asked.

"100 percent. We're already viewing the party on the screen. Both of your cameras are online as well. We'll be watching you the whole way."

"Good," Seto said as they got closer to the entrance.

They'd already hacked into the palace's security system and were able to see the palace's cameras. Both Seto and Tea were also wearing small cameras amongst their attire. Tea held a small camera on the little pin she wore near the top of her neckline by her heart. The little moon pin was a beautiful piece that she'd gotten from her mother years ago. It meant a lot to her, and she decided that she'd use it to fight for freedom. On the other hand, Seto's camera was placed on the small rim of his tie.

Tea could hear her heart beating as they stood at the entrance. She let out a final sigh as she held Seto's hand.

"Here we go."

And then they entered.

--

'I hate parties,' Bakura thought as he stood quietly in the corner with his glass of wine. Parties were nothing more than an excuse to let human desires run wild. Parties were all about show, to flaunt the power and selfishness of man. Heck, Marik was doing the same. All these so-called influential people were also doing the same. They came here to suck-up to Marik, and to increase their reputations. "Stupid humans," he muttered in a low voice.

He slowly looked around the room as he drank from his glass. People were so typical. Getting all dressed up for one night. Some of these women looked like they'd spent a fortune to be 'beautiful'. They were adorned in black, blue, grey and browns. People really loved the dark tones. Females seemed to love black, red, blue, and greens. He did see a few in pink, and a couple in bright yellow. They definitely preferred more sparkly and eye catching outfits. One girl even wore a tight black dress that held too many sequins on it. She looked like she was wearing the skin of a snake.

The next topic was the masks. Why did Marik even care for a dumb 'masquerade'? Didn't he know that it was more convenient for our enemies to walk in with masks? Humans crave amusement and satisfaction. All they want is to be able to do as they please. Masks merely help hide their true selves and let them run wild. I couldn't help but smirk. It was amusing to watch how humans worked in today's world.

He sighed again as he watched the new guests enter. Same thing. Men came in with their women in reds, blues, and blacks. Their faces adorned with their masks, and the women's necks filled with jewellery.

Bakura took another sip as he continued to watch the new arrivals. That was until he saw them.

--

Tea held onto Seto's arm tightly as she held her head up high. They entered the party with a confident stride. Tea visibly was startled and awed by the sight before her. The room was extravagant. The whole room was filled with a brilliant shine and so much excitement. There were many people present, and more were still coming. She quickly glanced through at the crowd in front of her, in hopes of recognizing some faces.

"If you see anyone you recognize, refrain yourself," Seto whispered close to her ear. "We're being watched."

Tea looked towards him with a smile on her face. She had to remember to act her part right and keep herself as low-key as possible. She glanced again and noticed a few people were indeed staring at them. She felt slightly uncomfortable as Seto began to lead her into the crowd. They didn't know anyone there, but they had to act as though they did.

"Stay close to me," he whispered as he approached a man wearing a dark blue tuxedo. The man had black hair and a little bit of weight on him. Beside him stood a tall, thin woman wearing a bright red dress. Her hair was up in an elegant bun as her red mask sparkled in the light.

"Good evening Sir Nyte," Seto began.

"That's the man that holds power in Scotland," came Duke's voice. "He's already turned the place into a dictatorship and is following along Marik's path."

"How do you do? I'm Whang Zi and this is my wife Tiang Hui Zi. We've heard a lot about you."

The man let out a loud chuckle as he shook Seto's hand. "Ah! So you're Whang Zi? Wow. I never knew you were so young boy. We've talked a bit on the phone, but you look and sound much better in person I must say."

Seto smiled as he let go of Nyte's hand. "Nothing compared to you sir."

The man let out another set of laughter as he turned his attention to Tea.

"Mr. Zi, you sure have a beautiful wife," he said eyeing Tea down. Tea felt slightly uncomfortable but she knew she had to do her best.

"Why thank you sir. I must say, Whang has been telling me how fond he is of you. You're quite the model for him," she said with a slight giggle as well. Tea then turned her attention towards the woman in red. She seemed to obviously be eyeing Seto. Tea couldn't help but feel slight annoyance. "And who may this be?"

Nyte turned towards the woman that was with him as she quickly looked towards him. She quickly plastered a smile on her face as she clung on closer to the man.

"Oh my, where are my manners. This my dear is my wife Katherine. We just married three months ago," he said.

Tea smiled broadly. The man was obviously around his 60s, whereas the women could be no older then her own age. She was young and she definitely had the 'body' that most men craved.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Nyte," Tea said turning her attention towards her. The woman gave Tea a small scowl before turning her attention towards Seto. She then smiled again as she nodded her head a bit.

"Well if you will excuse us sir, I think we should go pay our respects to the others," Seto said sensing the tension.

"Ah! Of course. Do stop by again though, and don't forget to bring your lovely wife when you come to Scotland."

"Of course sir. Enjoy yourselves," he said again as he led Tea away from the couple.

Tea continued to smile brightly at the two that they were leaving, and she didn't miss the little finger that Mrs. Nyte gave her.

Tea turned her attention back to Seto when he suddenly stopped. They now stood in front of their table. The other guests that would be sharing the table were not present yet. Both of them took a seat as they turned towards each other.

"What were you doing there?" He asked in a low tone.

Tea looked towards him and smiled. "Nothing."

Seto sighed as he got up.

"Wait here. I'll get us some drinks." Tea nodded her head, still presenting him with a smile.

Before he left, he looked at her again. "Try not to get into trouble."

--

Bakura watched the couple that stood at the entrance. There was something about them that made them stand out. The man stood tall and confidently. His dark brown hair was well kept as a few strands reached his front. He wore a black and golden coloured mask around his eyes. Even with his mask on, it was evident that the man was a handsome individual. His brown eyes held a striking appeal and his dark outfit stood out. He seemed to be quite toned and strong. He couldn't help but notice a few women glancing towards him as he walked by. 'Women could be quite the animals sometimes' he thought. However, it wasn't the man that had caught his attention most. It was the petite figure in a yellow dress that stood out. She looked stunning. He could see the beautiful aura around her. The dress held on nicely to her body, accentuating figure. He could see her long, toned legs as she walked in her black heels. Her stride was full of confidence as she held onto the man. Her long brown hair flowed behind her as she walked. He couldn't see her face because of the mask, but he felt like he knew her. Her brown eyes were looking around the room as she held a smile on her face. She noticed how her date was getting the stares, yet all she did was stare back. Bakura looked around and noticed how many men had turned to admire the young girl as well.

Bakura took another sip as he watched the two of them approach an older man. They were conversing quite happily. He watched closely at the girl in yellow. He saw her look towards the old man's woman. A snicker escaped Bakura's lips as he saw her frown slightly. So she noticed that her man was getting attention too. Bakura couldn't help but stare at her feature. Although her yellow and silver mask covered her feature, she reminded him awfully a lot of someone.

Bakura took a deep breath as he remembered her. He couldn't forget her anyways. She used to be his. All his. He used to have fun being able to toy with her, to break her slowly. He remembered how strong and defiant she had been at the start. She used to refuse him, to challenge him. It took him some time, but she soon learned that she was in enemy territory. He truly enjoyed breaking her courage, her faith, her belief that her friends would come. She finally came to know that there was no hope for her or anyone else at all.

"Such a pity," he thought as he recalled the night they found her burned body. She was dead now, but even so he still thought of her.

Bakura placed his glass down on the table as he watched the man get up from his table. He was saying something to the girl as she smiled after him. The girl nodded her head and then he turned around and walked away from her.

Bakura smirked as he watched the girl cross her long, smooth looking legs and look around the room.

He stood up and let a small chuckle escape his lips.

"Time to get acquainted."

--

**And that's the end of that Chapter! I know a cliffieee!!! :P But I haven't written one in a while now. Anyways, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review and let me know what you think! I know a lot of people have been alerting and keeping track of the story, but I'd really appreciate some feedback from you all! Give me some comments. Let me know if you're liking it and even drop by a hello! :P I plan to finish this story as soon as possible, but I won't rush it either. I'm finally over my writers block and I'll be able to update a bit faster than I used to. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! And once again, I can't stress this enough but THANK YOU to all that are still continuing to support me, as well as all new comers to my story(ies). Your support means a lot to me and encourages me to keep writing! Thanks once again and.... until next time! :)**


	9. Chapter 9: Panic

**Nightmare City**

**Hey all! I know! It's been long! I'm sorry! Thank you to all that continue to support this story by readings and reviewing! Love you! Now on with the next chapter (p.s. please leave a review to tell me what you think. Reviews tend to motivate me to write much faster! J thanks!! )**

**Warning: This chapter contains language, sexual/ mature content!**

_Disclaimers: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or the characters, and this story is purely fictional. If it does resemble anything, it is by pure coincidence! Thank you and enjoy!_

**Summary:** The world that they once knew exists no more. No more freedom, no more happiness, no more life. Everything changed after that one mistake. Whoever knew that trusting someone could cost the world its life? Who ever knew that one little mistake could separate friends, and bring destruction upon humanity? Who ever knew? (Is set after Battle City, a different take on things. Is also a little Dark and different from my other story. Pairings: SetoTea , mainly!, and for purposes of this story, all Hikari's and Yami's have their own bodies!)

Things to look for (All the chapters follow this guide):

_Flashbacks_

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

(NOTE from me)

_Last Chapter:_

_Bakura placed his glass down on the table as he watched the man get up from his table. He was saying something to the girl as she smiled after him. The girl nodded her head as he turned around and walked away from her._

_Bakura smirked as he watched the girl cross her legs and look around the room._

"_Time to get acquainted."_

--

**Chapter 9**

**Panic**

Tea sat quietly as she looked around the room. This party was something. Although Seto went to get 'drinks', they both were aware of the mission they had. They had to wait for the perfect opportunity in order to execute their plans.

"How could he leave you alone?!" Joey's voice startled her again for the second time. She froze in her seat as she heard his angry voice. If she wasn't careful, someone would figure out that she was up to something. She knew Seto could hear Joey's voice too.

"Shut up," his voice chimed in on cue. Although Seto's voice was barely audible, it was obvious he was annoyed. Tea couldn't hold her smile any longer. She quickly cupped her face into her hands, in hope of blocking out the smile that was adorning her face. She was suddenly jolted out of her little moment when she heard a voice from beside her.

"Hi there."

--

Seto scowled as he heard Joey's voice again. Joey really had to learn to keep his voice down. This was the second time Joey's voice suddenly startled him. He would end up giving them away if this continued. Not to mention Seto had nearly spilt the two drinks he held in his hands.

"Ah damn! Sorry! I forgot to keep him out," Duke's voice answered.

Seto glanced around as he made his way back to Tea. He tried to search the masked crowd to see if he'd seen anyone he could recognize. As he made his way over, he suddenly bolted as he heard a voice in his ear piece. It was a voice that didn't belong to Duke, Joey, or Tea.

"Hi there."

--

Tea let out a small yelp as she turned her head to look at the figure that had just spoken. In front of her stood a couple, both wearing a pair of red and gold masks. Tea smiled slightly as she nodded her head.

"Hello..." she responded in the most normal and calm voice that she could muster. She had to make sure she didn't show any indication that she'd been surprised by them. She didn't want to seem suspicious so she tried her best to smile as they took a seat at her table.

"Kaiba relax! It's just a couple sitting at your table. Walk a little less rigid," Duke's voice stated over the ear piece.

"Sorry. We just arrived and were told this was out table," the man in the dark black suit stated. Although Tea couldn't see his face, he looked to be around in late 20s.

"Yes, the party is bigger then I'd expected myself. My husband is around here somewhere looking for drinks himself," she said as she glanced around the crowd. She tried her best to spot Seto and his mask, but it was so difficult amongst all the glittering faces and fancy outfits that sparkled in her eyes. She searched through each mask until her eyes landed on a pair staring back at her. She froze suddenly as the brown pair of eyes met hers. They seemed to lock onto her gaze as the both of them looked at each other. Tea felt a pang of fear invade her as she observed the eyes. Around his gaping eyes were white and black feathers that flared across the man's head and over his nose. He held a steady and menacing stare as his lips slowly turned up at the corners of his mouth. She suddenly felt her heart jump as he smirked. Tea seemed to be captivated by the man's gaze as she couldn't seem to look away. She could hear the couple at her table chattering away, the music playing in the background, and the sound of glass hitting glass, yet her focus was solely on the man that stood a couple of feet away from her. That's when she noticed he was slowly approaching her.

Tea noticed the frown suddenly appear on the man's face as he suddenly halted. He was no longer looking at her. Instead, his attention was focused to Tea's left. Out of curiosity, she glanced up and nearly squealed in delight. Seto had returned, and was trying to look into the crowd of masks in front of her.

He'd noticed her staring at something. When she hadn't responded to his voice, he'd known that she'd seen something menacing. Seto immediately began to search the crowd with his glance to try to find the source of what was nerving her. Although he tried, he could see nothing more than a bunch of colourful masks glittering away as they kept dancing from one side of the room to another. He placed his hands on Tea's shoulders and then took a seat beside her.

"Who was it?" He whispered as he handed her a glass of water.

Tea took a sip from the glass, followed by a deep breath. She looked back up into Seto's eyes and smiled. "Don't know. That doesn't matter though," she said as she tried to forget about the dark stare that had been prying its way into her mind a few moments ago.

Tea then turned her attention back to the couple at hand. She broke out into a friendly conversation with them again as Seto kept a steady gaze on Tea. He couldn't help but notice the fear that still lingered in her cheery voice. He could tell that she was perturbed and that she was scared. Someone in the crowd had scared her, and he knew just who it may have been. He only hoped that the man hadn't realized that Tea was still alive, nor that they were about to begin the first part of their plans.

--

Mai gazed out at the crowd that had assembled in the hall. She let out a sigh as she watched the glittering masks and dresses that grazed by.

"Hey you! Get to work," came the raspy voice from behind her. She turned around to face one of the S-men that were trying to get everyone in the kitchen to work faster.

With a grunt she picked up the first tray of drinks. She looked around the bustling kitchen and tried to find the red haired girl.

"Dang it girl, where are you?" she whispered as she made her way through the door, interweaving her way through the crowd.

Mai couldn't believe so many people supported Mariks tyrannical reign. She could've sworn that some people still existed that would try to oppose Marik at all costs. Yet this party was littered with laughter and 'fun'. These guests all seemed to have on mission on their minds, and that was to impress the 'master'.

"Idiots," she muttered as she walked past a table full of brawny men. " To think men their size could actually take down a thin guy like Marik. Bunch of idiots."

Mai continued to look around the crowd hoping to find Serenity... that was until she heard the loud screams and her vision became dark.

"What the hell?"

--

"Now! You've got two minutes to act without being detected. They've probably already figured it out so be careful."

"Got it!" Seto panted as he ran his way through the crowded hall. It was dark, yet a few lights had managed to turn on to dimly light the room.

"What the hell is going on here?" came a roar from Seto's left. He could hear many of the guests being to panic as the S-men began to run around the place. Many of the men decided to run towards the hallway that would lead them further into the castle.

Seto smiled slightly at the thought of them all running towards the dungeons. Seto came to a sudden halt as he entered the frightened kitchen. A single candle was lit in the centre of the room, in which all the prisoners had settled around. Around them jostled a few S-men, searching for more candles, and a few keeping tabs on the prisoners.

He'd still been undetected as he carefully and stealthily made his way through the shadows. There were only five S-men in the kitchen. The others seemed to have run out into the hall to calm the guests and perhaps in panic.

'Time to get to work,' he thought as he made his way to knock the first S-man out.

"Bed time."

--

Tea swung around a couple of tables and made her way towards the group of 'waiters' that had been standing there prior to the blackout. She was lucky to be able to see the white shirts these individuals were wearing in the dimly lit room. Safety lights had been turned on automatically to light the room slightly. Although the gigantic room was still quite dark, figures could still be seen, with a few glitters here and there.

"Don't panic. Listen to me carefully," she whispered to the small group of five in front of her. "We're here to get you out of here but I need you to stay calm. Wait until the lights before making your way out of the building. Outside, run until you find someone with a black mask on. they'll lead you to the hide-out," Tea rushed as she kept her gaze scouting for more of the prisoners. "Spread the news to as many other prisoners as possible, and be careful not to let this be detected. Slowly make your way towards the exits... but wait for the signal." She quickly glanced at all of them before turning around and heading towards another set of prisoners.

--

"We're getting out. Make your way to the entrance quietly and wait for the lights. Run until you see the men in black," a short man muttered to Mai as she stood there in the dark. She was already freaked out as it was, but things seemed to be looking up.

"What?" Mai was surprised with the whole ordeal, but the man had already begun his progress towards the door slowly.

Mai couldn't help but let a sense of relief wash over her. She wasn't out just yet, but already she could see a new light opening up in front of her. Someone was helping them escape.

'Serenity, you better get out of here too!' Mai knew she'd spotted Serenity prior to the blackout. Serenity had looked towards her too, but she couldn't make her way towards her. 'At least you've got company', Mai thought as she remembered seeing the young girl standing with two other 'waiters'. Hopefully they would have heard about the escape and could make it out.

"Alright! Let's move," she heard a voice call from a few feet away.

'Let's move', she thought as she made her way towards the exit.

Freedom was within reach.

--

Her goal was to spread the plan to as many of the prisoners in the banquet. Seto would gather those in the kitchen, and she would focus on those in the hall. The biggest problem they had been expecting was a blockage of the entrance.

"You guys, you've got about 40 seconds. Hurry and make your way towards your spots," Duke's voice roared on the ear piece.

Tea's heart was rapidly beating as she pushed her way through the crowd. She'd stepped on a few feet and heard curses after her but she couldn't care less. She had to make sure she could gather as many people as possible and make her way towards the exit.

'We'll make it!' She thought as she approached a few more prisoners.

"Alright! Let's move," she said.

--

Seto stood in front of the single candle and the prisoners that all looked up at him in fear, and hope. On the ground lay five of the S-men, all without their robes. Seto himself now sported one of these robes, along with a few volunteers within the prisoners that were standing in around the S-men.

"You will be led out towards the exit slowly. Wait until the light goes on. We have to make it past the gate and the security. They'll have the path blocked so we have to push our way out. When you're out, run as far as possible until you find men with black masks on. They will lead you to you to safety." Seto glanced around at the men and women that stood before him. There had to be at least sixteen prisoners standing in front of him. He really hoped the plan would work.

"20 seconds!" Came the familiar voice from the ear piece.

Seto looked out into the hall. Lights were already beginning to flicker on. The crowd was still in a mess while people were running about. As expected, there were many guards lined up in front of the entrance. They were blocking the path from escaping guests and prisoners.

"14.."

Seto smiled.

"13"

He held up his hand and nodded his head. The prisoners slowly entered the anxious room as they kept towards the walls.

"9"

Seto began to sprint slightly towards the entrance. The prisoners were close behind. On the opposite side of the room he could dimly make out around fifteen prisoners sprinting their way towards the entrance.

"3"

"Get down!" He yelled as loud as possible to the prisoners behind him. From across the hall, he could see the other prisoners also ducking down slightly.

"1"

The whole room suddenly shook as the dark room was enchanted once again with bright lights. However, this time, the crowd went crazy as they all rushed towards the entrance to leave.

"NOW!" He shouted.

--

"NOW!" Tea screamed as people began to scream and try to run out the door. The smoke from the bomb was beginning to fill the room. Everything was going according to plan. Seto had planted a small bomb into the very back of the kitchen. They had hoped that the bomb would frighten the guests, and cause havoc and chaos. It would let them escape.

The building was lively once again as people pushed their way through the S-men and walls. Screams and shouts could be heard as people trampled over each other to try and make their way out.

Another rattle shook the building as a second bomb went off from the very back wall. That one had been placed while both Seto and Tea had been 'mingling' with the crowd.

Tea smiled as she pushed her way through the jammed door and breathed in fresh air. She quickly turned her head back in order to make sure that most of the prisoners were able to make it out. There were still a lot of guests that were grabbing at each other and trying to make their way through. She could even see a single figure who she guessed to be Marik standing and watching them. His eyes locked with her in that second. With a pang in her chest, she turned around and continued to sprint towards the darkness of the streets.

'Let's get out of here!' She thought as she sprinted past the many guests that now stood stationary outside of the castle. All of them were now watching the building in fear of another blast occurring. They stood there and began to chatter again while a few people could be seen crying. They were frightened and also still loyal to Marik.

"Idiots!" Tea said as she neared the dark road. Up ahead she could already see many of the prisoners running quickly.

She kept running until she could hear the fading voices of the startled crowd. She knew she couldn't stop and therefore kept her pace.

"A little more to go! Come on guys!" She yelled to the few men and women that were running around her.

"No! Help!"

Tea stopped as she turned around at the cry. One of the prisoners was now panting while his hair was bunched up into a tight round fist. Behind him was another woman now crying as her wrists were held.

"You people run too fast!" The S-man exclaimed as he punched the man in his stomach with his tight grasp on the man's hair. He in turn bent over and began to cough.

Behind him, the other man was already slapping the woman as she began to wail. "Stupid wench!"

"Keep going!" Came a shout in Tea's ear. The mission was to get as many people out as possible. She knew that some was supposed to ignore them and continue on her pursuit.

"_There's a chance that we can't save everyone at the party. There might even be a few men that pursue you all. Whatever the case be, make sure you keep running and make your way back," Duke said._

_Seto nodded his head as he looked towards Tea again. "He's right. Whatever the case be, you have to keep running Tea." _

_Tea sighed before responding, "I know. We'll all make it out, don't worry."_

Another smack to her face, and the woman yelped again.

Tea stood there with her fists tightened. She wasn't supposed to be waiting there. She had to keep running.

The man had already spotted her as he pleaded for help again. Tea looked at his frightened eyes from her position. It didn't seem like the two S-men had seen her yet. She knew she could take them down, but in the horizon she could see more of them approaching.

The man screamed out as blood began to soak his white shirt. The S-man had sliced the prisoners arm.

Instantly, Tea reacted. She rushed out from her position behind the tree. Within moments, the injured man was freed as his captor now was buckled over on the ground. She quickly ran towards the other man who had already let go of the girl and was now in a defensive position. She quickly grabbed his right punch and twisted him around before kicking the back of his right knee. He too fell to the ground. Tea continued to hold his arm pinned against his back.

She quickly turned her head towards the freed man and woman. "Run!"

The man Tea was holding suddenly brought around his left arm and hit her on her left shoulder. His hand quickly went towards her face, but his fist met with her mask. She yelped at the sudden attack but quickly threw in a kick to the right side of his torso. He cried out in pain again as he now held his side. Her mask now lay with its broken string across the floor. A few meters away more men were coming. She couldn't get caught or even seen by them anymore.

She took the opportunity to run again.

"Got to get out of here," she cried as she ran as fast as she could.

She could hear the men in the distant shouting at her to stop. The trees were now beginning to tug at her gown while her hair tangled around her face.

"Eight people have been found," Duke's excited voice said. Tea smiled as she continued her chase down the enormous path. They were finally able to find safety.

Tea could feel her legs begin to slow down as her breathing had already broken into short gasps. She quickly turned around a tree and pressed her back against it. She'd been running for a while now and she could feel the cuts along her leg and torn dress. Small red spots were now visible on her gown near the torn cloth. She quietly peeked around the tree to see if she had been followed.

"Thank god," she whispered as no man was in sight from the path she had come. The air around her was quiet except for another young boy who was now standing seven trees away from her out of breath. She looked towards him and gave him a thumb up as he tried to smile. "Looks like we lost them."

He nodded his head as he scanned the path that they had just come from. "How much further?"

She looked towards the path in front of her and tried to make out any movement in the trees. "I'm not sure." She said as she scanned her surroundings.

"Duke, who is the closest person to me right now?" She breathed.

A moment of silence went by and no response came from Duke. Tea's heart immediately quickened its pace even more as she called his name again. She couldn't hear his voice at all. She looked down at the small moon camera that was still hanging cosily on her dress. However, she then realized that the small microphone that had been attached to the camera was now missing.

"Shit," she cursed as she looked around her surroundings again. Still, there didn't seem to be anyone around her other than the young boy a few feet away. He seemed to sense her anxiety as he started to look around in panic. "Don't worry. I'm guessing we're not too far from pick-up point. We have to keep running."

He looked frightened, but quickly stood up to get ready to run. The young boy seemed to be around seventeen years old. Tea couldn't help but remember her teenage years and all the happy times she had with her friends during their duel monster days.

"Another twelve prisoners have been gathered. They're heading over soon. Where are you guys?" Duke obviously sounded a bit frightened. Neither Tea nor Kaiba had checked in with them.

Tea let out a groan as she tried to see if her microphone had fallen somewhere around her feet. "Like I'll ever be able to find it here," she grunted as she looked along the shady grass.

"Almost there. Got caught up in a bit of a jam. Tea, where are you?" Seto's voice broke in.

Tea really hated this. She looked towards the boy and nodded her head. In turn, both of them continued their mission to run towards whoever it was that would be waiting for them nearby.

"Tea?" Seto's worried voice broke in again.

Tea quickly took a hold of her pin while keeping her fast progression towards their goal intact. She quickly pulled out her pin until it was facing her. With a smile, she lifted up her thumb and waited for a response.

"What the heck? She's alright Kaiba. Looks like she lost the microphone," Duke stated with a sigh of relief. "Better put that back on your dress, we won't be able to track you if you lose it." After a moment pause, he spoke again.

"Alright, Tea you should be close to Thomas. He's around that area. About another kilometre north," Duke assured.

Tea nodded and stopped running momentarily. She looked towards the boy who also stood still. He'd already made his way over towards her and now held a questioning gaze.

"Keep running north. There's another man waiting for us about a kilometre from here," she stated as she tried to place her pin back onto her gown. He nodded as he waited for her a few feet ahead. She quickly jammed the pin back into its original position and made sure it was secure. She nodded towards the boy as he turned around and was about to take off. She was about to follow.

Something moved.

Tea froze. The boy froze. Instantly, both of them turned towards the direction of the noise.

Tea still couldn't see anything, but she knew someone was there. A feeling of dread had made its way over her.

"Tea? What happened?" Duke's voice burst in again.

She ignored his worried voice as she quietly and slowly walked over towards the boy.

She now stood beside him as another sound was heard a couple of meters from behind her. Tea's heart skipped another beat as she looked at the boy. He too acknowledged the noise as his eyes kept darting towards the darkness.

"Tea? If you're okay, put your hand in front of the camera."

She quickly did as she was told as she placed her hand in front of the camera. She turned her attention towards the boy as both of them slowly began to walk at a steady pace.

"When I say now, run as fast as you can. Keep going north, I'll try to lose him."

The boy looked at her again as she took in a sharp breath. She had to slow down her already thumping heart. She let out her breath as she swiftly turned her whole body towards the direction of the sound.

"Run!" She yelled as her eyes finally spotted a dark figure emerging from a few trees a couple of feet away.

Tea could see the dark figure begin to sprint towards her direction. She quickly swerved as she began to run towards the west direction. The figure immediately began to follow her.

"Shit!" Tea screamed as the figure was slowly closing the gap between the them.

"Tea!" Duke's voice echoed in her clogged ears. All she could hear was the blood rushing to her head as well as her own frightened gasps as she tried to breathe. She couldn't stop now or else the person would catch her. To make things worse, her mask was already discarded long ago and whoever the person was that was tailing her now would be able to recognize her.

"Damn it!" She cursed out loud as she tripped over a root. Within seconds, she had both her palms implanted amongst the grass. Her knees had followed suit as they also were digging into the moist ground. Her heart continued to thump, thrashing to jump out of her chest. The pain shooting from her left ankle further complicated things. She was in big trouble now. To makes things worse, the footsteps now slowed down as they got closer to her. Tea closed her eyes as she prepared herself to fight back. It was obviously one person that had been following her, and Tea felt she could handle him easily. Even with an injured shoulder, leg, and aching body... she still knew she'd be able to take him down.

She got up as she faced the dark figure within the shadows.

"Okay, now you've got me," she said as confidently as she could. She stood up, despite the protest that her ankle was shooting towards her. Her whole left leg now felt immense pain as she took a step towards the figure. Ignoring it, she continued to glare at the man in front of her. However, what surprised her more was that the figure himself hadn't tried to attack her yet. He merely stood in the shadows watching her.

Duke's voice continued to yell in her ear. He was telling her to run and to get out of there quickly. "Tea, what are you doing?! Get out of there now!" Duke screamed again. Even Seto was screaming.

"How..." the figure whispered. Tea could no longer hear the voices in her ear. The only voice that managed to make it through was the figures.

Tea froze at the moment those words left his mouth. Her strong interior shattered as memories came flooding back into her head. Tea lost the confidence that once flamed within her. Instead, she now felt like a deer caught in headlights.

"So you're alive," he said as he entered the moonlight. His dark brown eyes glittered with a new life as his long tendrils swayed in the wind.

She was frozen, locked onto that gaze that had haunted her for months.

He looked at her terrified expression and laughed. She couldn't move and he continued his slow approach. She was frozen. That was it. This was it. The moment that she had feared the most.

"Fuck! It's him! Run Tea!"

--

Seto ran towards the West in hopes of catching Tea. This was not good at all. She was being chased and he didn't know how long it would be before someone would catch her.

"Damn it!" he yelled as he pushed past a couple of branches that blocked his path.

"Duke! Where is she?" He yelled into his microphone as he kept his rapid pace.

"She's injured. Looks like she's sprained her ankle," Duke said. "You're still a few kilometres away."

Seto cursed again as he picked up his already quick speed. There was no way he was going to let her get caught again. No way. She'd been through enough already and he didn't want her to go through that again. "Tea! Run damn it!"

He couldn't believe how things were progressing. They'd managed to complete the mission and free many more prisoners... yet she was put in danger yet again.

"Fuck! I should've kept her safe," he continued to curse as he rushed through the dark and sharp obstacles in his path.

Seto immediately stopped in his tracks with his eyes wide open. He stopped breathing immediately as his heart leaped to his throat. The words he dreaded most now broke through the ear piece.

"Fuck! It's him! Run Tea!"

'Bakura.'

--

She looked as beautiful as she had always been. Ignoring the bruises along her long legs, the cuts that now ran along that beautiful yellow gown and of course ignoring the little red spots all over her... she looked beautiful. Her eyes were still enticing, even with the brown contacts in place. The life that he'd seen in them at the party was no longer there. It was gone, the little happiness that he knew she felt as she hid behind the mask at the party. Instead, now she stood there frozen. He couldn't believe it at first... she was alive. She was alive.

Alive.

He stepped closer to her. He could already see her body begin to tremble as a small sound escaped her frozen lips. She was scared... scared to death.

"So you're alive..."

He smirked as he approached her slowly. Deep inside he'd always known that she was still alive. She was his prey. His alone. He would never let anyone else destroy her... never.

He came to a stop a few inches away from her trembling form. Slowly he placed both his palms on her arms. Her cold skin immediately sent a trickle of electricity down his body. Her skin was still soft after all this time. She had stopped breathing as her body continued to quiver.

"Tea," he purred as he looked into her wide, tear-stricken eyes. Slowly, he let his right palm travel up her arm towards her neck. She flinched but stood without breathing. Letting it rest on the base of her neck, he leaned in closer. With another smile, he let out one of the only truths that he ever possessed.

"I've missed you," he said slowly bring his lips closer to hers.

"I've missed you very much."

--

**And I leave it at that!** **LOL! Me and my cliffiees! :P Hopefully you all enjoyed that chapter! Yes Bakura now knows she's alive... now the excitement begins! Lol! Expect angst, drama, and a hecka lot of dark stuff lol! I'm sorry for the wait... but hopefully you all may still be willing to read and review! Give me your insights and tell me what you think! There are still certain gaps in the plot that will be filled.. but if anyone is confused with anything right now... just ask away! I shall try my best to answer your questions! :D Anywho until the next chapter... adieu! **


	10. Chapter 10: Meeting

**Nightmare City**

**Hey again! Yah! Next chapter is out! Thank you soo much to all those that left some wonderful reviews! You made my day! Now, enough from me and on with the long awaited chapter! **

**Warning: This chapter contains language, sexual/ mature content!**

_Disclaimers: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or the characters, and this story is purely fictional. If it does resemble anything, it is by pure coincidence! Thank you and enjoy!_

**Summary:** The world that they once knew exists no more. No more freedom, no more happiness, no more life. Everything changed after that one mistake. Whoever knew that trusting someone could cost the world its life? Who ever knew that one little mistake could separate friends, and bring destruction upon humanity? Who ever knew? (Is set after Battle City, a different take on things. Is also a little Dark and different from my other story. Pairings: SetoTea , mainly!, and for purposes of this story, all Hikari's and Yami's have their own bodies!)

Things to look for (All the chapters follow this guide):

_Flashbacks_

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

(NOTE from me)

_Last Chapter:_

"_Tea," he purred as he looked into her wide, tear-stricken eyes. Slowly, he let his right palm travel up her arm towards her neck. She flinched but stood without breathing. Letting it rest on the base of her neck, he leaned in closer. With another smile, he let out one of the only truths that he ever possessed._

"_I've missed you," he said slowly bring his lips closer to hers. _

"_I've missed you very much."_

**Chapter 10**

**Meeting**

Tea was terrified. She was screaming at herself to move, but her legs stayed frozen. She stayed frozen, not even letting her breath escape. She watched his figure approach her with the arrogant stride she still remembered. Tears had already begun to brim her eyes and were threatening to fall out.

Another jolt of pain went through her body the moment he touched her. She should've moved now, she should have pushed him away and run. But she couldn't. Her body continued to stay frozen in its position. He smiled his dark smile as he called out to her. He let his hand travel up her arm, leaving a burning pain along its path. Her eyes widened when he placed his palm against her neck. His gaze was fixated on her trembling lips.

All she could do was watch. Watch the way he played with her, the way he tormented her. She couldn't will her body to move at all. She couldn't even stop looking at him with her tear-stricken eyes.

"I've missed you very much," he said in a whisper as he began to close the gap between the two. Within seconds, the two met.

Tea was burdened with the sudden weight of the memories from her past. His lips were the same as they once used to be. Cold, harsh, disgusting. Her tears, her sorrow, her pain all came back to her as his grasp around her neck strengthened and as he deepened the kiss.

"...Tea... Tea I'm coming! Stay strong. Fight back!"

Tea let her eyes blink a few times as she heard Seto's voice. In an instant, she pushed against his shoulders and broke his ravishing kiss. Within the next second, she slapped his left cheek and pushed herself away from him.

He stood there with a surprised look on his features. His eyes were wide as his face now held a grave expression.

Tea stood there, watching him with her panting breath. Tears were frozen in place along her cheeks as she watched in fear. She saw how stiff he stood, just watching her. He kept his eyes locked on her as she took a few steps back. He watched as she wiped away at her lips and eyes.

And Tea returned the gaze. She hated this man more than anything. Instantly the anger and hatred that she had bottled up against him flared through her body. All she wanted to do was get away from the man in front of her. She wanted to get rid of him, make him suffer the way he'd made her suffer.

The two stood there for what felt like hours staring at each other. It wasn't until she heard him chuckle that she blinked a few times.

"Brings back memories."

--

"Ah damn it! How much further do we have to go?" Mai complained as she grabbed her left wrist. She'd injured it on her way through the forest. In front of her were two other prisoners that had managed to escape. In front of them was the man that was supposedly part of the plan. When they had come across him, he'd told them to follow him to the hideout.

"We'll be there soon," he replied in a stern voice. Mai merely let out a sigh of relief. She'd been stuck in that place since the very beginning. It had been tough, but she was glad they'd managed to break out of it. "I just hope Serenity was able to make it out safely," she mumbled as she rubbed her wrist.

"Who exactly is behind this 'rebellion'?" Mai questioned aloud. She'd finally realized that they escape had been a part of a plan to get the prisoners out. She had always wondered who it could have been that was able to ruffle Marik and Bakura's control. Whoever the person was, she knew they were strong and definitely their hope for the future. In many ways, this new masked figure reminded her of Yu-gi. They'd always had Yu-gi around to protect them, and he would always risk his life to save all of them. Mai let a smile grace her features; maybe it was Yu-gi. Maybe he was safe and out of hiding. Just maybe he was finally strong enough to fight back, and help the citizens escape Marik's dictatorship.

In front of Mai, everyone stopped moving. She looked over the man's shoulder to see the side of the hill. "Alright, we're here."

Mai looked confused. All she saw in front of her was trees, a few rocks, and the wall of the hill. There was no house or so there.

"What are you--"

She gasped as she saw the a figure come out of the small crack the wall had just produced. She felt her mouth go dry as tears welled in her eyes.

"Joey!" She screamed as she dashed past the man that led their group and embraced Joey. He looked startled at first, but quickly composed himself. His eyes had widened when he saw her and his arms immediately wrapped around her thin frame as the two embraced. "Thank god!"

"Mai! You're okay!" He said as he continued to keep a tight hold on her. It'd been so long since the two had last seen each other. "I've missed you!" he whispered as they looked at each other. Mai finally had tears dripping down her cheeks. The tears she'd held captive in herself since the first day of this whole dictatorship. She was relieved. Things were definitely starting to look better. Everything was finally starting to work out.

"Listen to me, it's not safe to be seen out here. There's a chance that the S-men are lookin' round the forest. Get inside. We'll talk in there," Joey said to the group behind her. She looked up and nodded as he led her, along with the rest of the group into the hidden cave.

Mai entered the room and was surprised to see many others there. She spotted many familiar faces, and a few crying faces who seemed to know each other. They all looked relieved and happy. Mai looked towards Joey and it was then that she noticed the stiff face.

"What's wrong?" She asked as a weird feeling clawed its way into her chest.

Joey stayed quiet as he shook his head. Mai looked towards the big computer across the cave. There sat Duke who seemed to be screaming to himself. Mai watched Joey make his way over to Duke, and she followed. It wasn't until she saw the images on the screen that she stifled a yelp. In front of her stood Bakura with a menacing glare. He was shaking. No, the camera was shaking. Whoever was the person with the camera was in trouble. Mai looked towards Joey and saw him grit his teeth. In the other image on the screen, she could see trees and dark blobs flashing across the image. Someone was running. In another screen, she could see the hall that they had all been prisoners in. She could see the guests sitting in a crowd in the centre of the ball. They were surrounded by S-men, and Marik stood with a few men in the corner of the screen.

"What's happening?" Mai asked with the fear in her chest rising.

Joey finally turned to her. His face held worry and she could see how anxious he was. Someone he knew was facing Bakura, she knew it. She could sense it.

With a whisper, she finally asked, "who is it?"

Joey answered without turning his head towards her. His eyes were still fixated on the menacing figure in front of them.

"Tea."

--

Memories. That's what he said. The memories that had continued to haunt her. The same ones that had been clawing away at her mind until the point of reaching insanity. The memories she tried so hard to forget; the same ones she wanted to wish never existed. It was nothing but a nightmare. A horrible nightmare. The memories that she forced herself to believe weren't real. But they were memories. Not dreams, nor fantasy. They were real, they were her past. They were her memories.

She looked at his menacing glare as she began to shake.

He smirked at her state. "Do you remember? All the fun times we had?"

Tea closed her eyes as she tried to shut his voice out. She didn't want to look at him, nor did she want to hear him. She just wanted to be alone. She wanted to go somewhere where she could be alone, in isolation. Somewhere that no one could hurt her.

"I remember your screams. They always made me want to do more." His voice was filled with lust. She whimpered slightly as her eyes shot open. She eyed him, making sure that she could keep a good distance between the two. Fresh tears had already begun to fall as flashes of her nightmare raced through her mind.

Slowly, he took a few steps towards her. A smirk was already widely flourishing as he watched her. "The more you screamed the more fun it got."

Tea tried to keep her head up. She tried to stop her shaking. She tried to not listen to him. She tried to forget everything. She tried. Tried, but failed.

He was getting closer. Closer.

"You were shattered. You couldn't even fight back anymore," he said as he came to a stop a few feet away from her.

She kept her gaze locked onto his. She was still trembling but she kept her stance. The pain in her leg was long forgotten as she focused her attention on her situation. She had to get out of here.

He now stood close to her, his eyes looking down at her.

"But looks like you've got your spirit back," he said with his menacing stare again.

Tea returned his gaze as she looked up into his eyes.

"Get away from me," she said with as much courage as she could muster up.

He merely smirked at her as he grabbed her chin. "It'll be fun breaking you again."

The moment he tried to wrap his other arm around her waist was the moment she reacted. Within seconds, she managed to knee him in the stomach. He quickly let go of her as he staggered back a few steps. Without wasting another moment, Tea began to run. She ran as fast as she could, despite the jolting pain that was rising within her left ankle again. By the end of this, she knew she wouldn't be able to walk for a few days.

Without looking back, she knew he was chasing after her. She could hear him cursing at her as he continued his progression towards her again.

She ran and ran, running around trees and taking different turns in order to stall his speed. All the time she continued to shake, continued to worry. She just hoped Seto was nearby.

'Hurry Seto!'

--

Serenity walked through the dark shadows that were littered around her. The trees looked menacing and scary in the dark. She had no clue where she was, nor where she was going. The only thing she did know was that she was alone. After escaping the palace, she'd been following a middle-aged man. S-men had been nearby. When she noticed that they had caught up, she'd quickly hidden herself in the cluster of bushes in order to hide herself. Lucky for her, the men had not seen her. Unfortunately, they had caught up to the man that had been running away. Once they captured him, they led him back as he kept screaming for help. She didn't know what to do. She was frightened and she didn't want to go back. Who knew what they would do to her for trying to escape.

"I'm sorry," she said out loud in her isolated moment. She wished she could've helped him somehow, but it wasn't possible. She knew that she wouldn't be able to do anything, and she hated that. She hated the fact that she couldn't do a damn thing to stop anything that was happening around here. Nothing at all.

Serenity continued to walk cautiously along the dark forest. She was praying that she might find someone that was allegedly part of this escape plan. Anyone that could be part of them would work.

"Mai, where are you?" she asked out loud as she leaned against a tree trunk. She'd been walking for what felt like a long time, not to mention all the running and hiding she had to do. She knew she had to be well into the forest now, but she still couldn't find out where she was going or anything at all.

Serenity hated this. She hated being in this predicament. Ever since this whole thing started, she was lucky enough to have been in hiding with her brother. He'd always protected her. Whenever they came across danger, he would help her. Whenever they were almost discovered by the S-men, he would silence them. He even went as far to kill another just to save her. She hated that she had turned her brother into a killer. He'd changed, and she'd seen that change occur. He became stronger, much more colder. He became more like his rival, Kaiba, then he would like to admit. He showed no compassion for the S-men, regardless. He hated them as much as he hated this whole situation.

Serenity let out a sigh. It was no surprise to see the change in Joey at all though. After all, his best friend had died because of all this. Tristan had died on his birthday, the day they were supposed to celebrate. A surprise party was supposed to occur where he was supposed to have the time of his life. But that never happened. Tristan was killed. Joey was shattered, and everyone was separated.

"I hate this!" Serenity said as she thought back to the battle city days. She was happy then, when she first got her eye sight back. When she was able to see all her friends and family again. She'd been happy that Joey had been there, helping her. She'd been happy with the attention she received from Tristan. Honestly, Serenity had grown to like everyone in the gang. Tristan and Duke always kept her entertained and in good company. Mai was the best older sister she could ask for. Mai had also looked out for Serenity and had always been protective of her just like Joey. Serenity couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law, at least that's the relationship the two would have had by now if Joey had been successful in proposing a week after Tristan's birthday. Everything would have been good. Serenity could have become an aunt by now too!

She remembered Tea and Yu-gi as well. They had always been very supportive and helpful to her too. Yu-gi and Yami were both great people to go to for advice. They were close to Joey, and she always looked to them as being the only sane people in the gang. It was fun hanging out with them as they always tried to tame Joey. Tea was a close friend and a sister to her too. She always helped Serenity out when she needed help.

Serenity couldn't help but let a tear escape. She'd found out that not only had Tristan died, but Tea had been killed too. Slowly, all her friends, her support, her family were being killed off. She hated it. She didn't want to lose anyone at all. She didn't want this nightmare to be real. She had woken up a few times thinking that it was all just a dream. A really bad dream.

A scream.

Serenity sat up. She listened again but it was silent.

"No!"

Serenity stood up fully. She knew she'd heard someone. Someone was nearby she knew it. She could hear the female voice. She quickly but quietly walked towards the direction of the noise. Careful to hide herself amongst the bushes, she tried to peek over at the dark shadows where she had heard the scream. Serenity's heart was pounding rapidly as her blood flow quickened. Someone was here. And they were in trouble.

"Stop!"

--

"Kaiba! She's gone further West!" Duke spoke in a rapid voice.

Seto let out a curse as he halted and took a sharp turn towards the West. He was so close to her, he knew it. He just hoped she was okay.

He hated this too! It made him angry to think that he had put her in dangers path again. Even after he had promised himself to keep her safe.

"You're getting closer! Hurry. She's frantic!"

'I'm almost there Tea. Hang on!' He screamed into his head as he dashed further into the dark shadows that paved the path before him.

--

She tripped. She tripped over the large root that had been in front of her path. She tripped, and she fell. Fell to the ground, with her right side scraping itself against the ground. Her yellow dress had long lost its colour. It was embezzled with dirt and blood. Cuts and scratches, and a new line of torturous elements. The poor thing lost its shine and glamour. A pity, but hardly important in her current situation. She knew she couldn't run any longer. Her legs had given way and she couldn't move her leg without the pain attacking her in its most raging form. So she did the only thing she could do. She forced her body to turn around and sit up, facing the direction that her predator was soon to appear. The only thing she could do now was face him.

"Tea! Get up and run!" Duke's voice spoke in her ear. She knew it too. She should, but she simply couldn't. She couldn't even tell Duke how sorry she was. She couldn't even tell Seto how much she loved him. She couldn't tell anyone how happy she was that they were finally able to make some progression to their freedom. She couldn't even tell them how terrified she was. How she knew her future was about to be placed in the devil's hands. She couldn't tell them anything.

"You little bitch. That's as far as you go," his voice bellowed a few meters away. She gasped at the sudden intrusion of his voice. She hadn't seen him, nor heard him enter the area. With a start, she looked around to see if she could find his figure. Soon enough, she saw him in front of her. His face was angry. He was furious. Now Tea was truly frightened. She hadn't seen that face. Come to think of it, she'd never seen him in a furious state before. Not once.

Without realizing it herself, she had been backing up slowly, sliding against the hard soil until her bare back collided with the cold bark. He'd slowly been walking closer, and she'd slowly been sliding back. Now she couldn't escape.

'No, don't come closer,' Tea thought as she forced her mouth to stay shut. She couldn't let him know he was getting to her. She had to get out of here now. Now!

Bakura had now reached her. In a moment, he had grabbed her knees and locked them together. Tea let out a cry as infuriating pain shot through her left leg and she could've sworn she heard a bone crack. He forced her knees down as he quickly mounted them. With his weight now imprisoning her knees, he grabbed her wrists and placed them in front of her. He held them tight against her stomach in his left hand. His right hand rested in a grasp around her neck which met with the tree trunk.

--

He was mad. His eyes were dancing with fire. His hands were rough and like iron. She couldn't free her wrists nor her neck. All she could do was watch him with her eyes wide. She was shaking and whimpering, but she wasn't speaking. No. Not yet.

"That actually hurt," he scowled as he looked into her wide eyes. He was angry that someone had actually been able to hit him. If Marik had found out that he'd let his guard down around a girl, Bakura would be humiliated. But what angered him most was that his favourite little 'toy' had hurt him. She had defied him, had fought back. He was angered at the fact that he had failed. He had failed his mission to destroy her. He had wanted to turn her into a living corpse. Someone broken. Someone that only he could enjoy torturing. Yet she fought back. She tried to run and escape him again.

"Let go of me. Now."

Bakura blinked his eyes in rapid succession. Was that a demand? Had she just spoken to him in a courageous and demanding voice?

"What did you just say?" He asked her with a low voice. He now let his anger protrude into his speech as his right hand automatically tightened around her neck. He looked into her eyes as she kept a steady gaze on him. He could see she was still scared, but she was fighting. She was continuing to try and hide that fear. He knew he made her uncomfortable, he knew she was terrified, but she still continued to play.

With a sharp intake of breath, she closed her eyes. In another second, she exhaled as she opened her eyes again and looked into his. "I said, let me go."

Bakura was beyond angered now. Someone was actually defying him. Someone was actually telling him what to do. Without a moment to think, he let his right hand release her neck. Instead the right hand now became straight within the air. He could feel the cold air glide across his hand before it met with a tingling sensation after meeting the side of her face. In turn he watched her face expose the left cheek to him as her right side turned away. Her left cheek was now beginning to turn pink. Tears had finally let themselves fall out of her once courageous eyes. She was sobbing again.

--

Mai stood there shaking as she let out a scream. She could see the whole scene playing out in front of her. She could see Bakura's angry face. She could see him approach her. Tea was shaking. She couldn't move. Mai shut her eyes when she saw Bakura grab Tea's knees and mount himself on top of her. She saw one of his arms holding down what she knew were Tea's hands in front of her. She could see the other arm, although not in the screen image. She knew it was holding Tea's neck.

She couldn't believe what was happening. She had just found out that Tea had been alive. All this time, Mai had thought she was killed. Mai had known about Tea's role in the palace. Mai had done whatever she could to try and help Tea. They had even tried to find a way for her to escape. But they'd been caught. That had led to punishment for the both of them. Mai had been beaten and tortured by the S-men. Tea had been 'dealt with by Bakura', as the S-men had told her.

Now that she found out Tea was alive, she had been happy. One of her closest female friends was still alive. Yet she faced her worst enemy again. Bakura had been the source of Tea's nightmares. He'd been the cause of her change. Tea had become unrecognizable. She had become more like a silent corpse who still moved and breathed. But barely spoke. She barely even knew where she was, or who she was surrounded by. Mai hated what was happening. This whole thing was completely ridiculous!

"Damn it!" Duke cried in front of her. "Kaiba hurry the fuck up! She's seriously in trouble now!"

Mai blinked the tears away in her eyes. "Kaiba? You mean he's..."

No one had to answer her as she turned her attention to the other image on the screen. It was obvious now who that was. The image was still running, rapidly as the trees and branches continued to slash by. He was getting closer. Mai just hoped he wouldn't be too late.

--

Tea was crying freely again. Her left cheek stung with pain when his palm had slapped her. Her head had rolled against the tree trunk until it hung to the right. Her wrists had been grasped so tightly that she could no longer feel them. She didn't want to look at him. She kept her eyes away from his as she could still hear him panting aggressively.

When a moment of silence filled with nothing except his panting and her sobs went by, he let go of her wrists. In an instant his hands were now embedded into her shoulders as he swerved her body to the right of the tree trunk. Now her bare back met with the cold soil beneath her. He shifted his weight so that he saddled her hips and forced her to look into his eyes. She screamed out loud.

She could feel his weight pushing down on her hips. She could feel his nails digging into her bare shoulders. She could see his eyes, boring into hers with a vengeance. He looked terrifying. He looked like he was about to brutally ravish his prey.

She let out a loud scream when he suddenly let his palm grab onto her left breast. The fabric of the dress was squished together with the pin and her skin. The needle part of the pin scraped into her tender skin as she let out a scream. He ignored her as he continued to squeeze her tender flesh, letting the pin dig its way into her soft tissues.

"Stop!" she tried to say as the pain shot through her left side. Her tears were already overwhelming and her palms now rested on his arms, trying to push him away.

"Why would you wear a camera in such a lovely area?" He said in a deadly tone.

Tea let her neck stretch as she tried to pry his palm off of her. The pin was hurting her. It was digging itself into her flesh and leaving a bloody trail. The pressure he added wasn't helping her either. He continued to tighten his hold on her breast, and then mould it. He continued to watch her face and cry in agony.

"Pl-Please!" she tried as her eyes looked into his pleadingly.

His stare was cold, he was still as merciless as before. But he did let go. He let go of her left breast, but he ripped off the camera that had been there. She quickly let go of his palm and now used both her palms to cover her left breast. It was throbbing with pain, and she knew the fabric of her dress now held a new streak of red blood along that area. The pin had managed to rip off some of her dress too, but it still covered her. She was sobbing uncontrollably as she tried to turn her body away from him. But he continued to saddle her, continued keep her captive as he examined the pin with the camera.

"Who is it Tea? Whose on the other end?" His soft voice broke through. She could hear Duke screaming again on her ear piece. She could hear Joey cursing. She could hear Seto telling her he was almost there. She could hear everyone, and yet she couldn't. She couldn't do anything at all. Nothing was registering in her mind.

Another slap went across her left cheek again. Her body was bolted once again as his right palm held both her wrists above her head again. He leaned in closer, the camera pin still in his hand.

"Answer me when I tell you to," he practically screamed.

Tea cried out loud as her sobs seemed to increase. Her whole body was in pain. She felt numb. Her face was stinging, her left side was completely in pain. Her wrists were now bruised and aching as well. She gasped as he let his lips graze her ear. Tea's eyes widened when she saw him pull out her ear piece. She shook as he put it into his ear.

A smirk scrawled its way onto his features as he heard the voices on the other end. 'No! No! No! He can't!' Tea thought as she tried to free herself from his grasp. He let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. He leaned in closer to her once again, until his eyes were matched with hers. She stopped moving again and held her breath. The pin was still in his left hand.

"I wonder what they'll say if I show them what you look like?" He said in a song like voice.

Her eyes widened again, "No!"

But he already turned the camera towards her. He held her wrists again, pinning her to the ground. He placed the pin between his teeth as he sat up. He made sure that it was able to capture her expression and upper part of her body. With his left hand, he let it slide from her neck to her right breast. The blood was still spilling out through the fabric on her left. He ignored it as he began to mould her right flesh. She cried out again as he smirked. He then stopped as he chuckled out loud.

"They're enjoying it," he whispered as he took the pin out of his mouth.

"St- Stop it. Please," Tea snivelled as she tried to pry her wrists out of his palm. He smirked as he placed the pin back into his mouth. This time, he went to her bleeding left breast. Slowly, he grabbed onto the fabric of the dress that was covering her flesh. Even slower, he began to tug at it. Tea's eyes bolted again as she realized what he was doing. He was going to expose her flesh. He was going to let her bruised body be displayed to the others.

"Stop!" She screamed as she managed to free one of her arms. Quickly, she grabbed his arm that was tugging at her fabric. His other palm continued to encase her left hand.

"I said stop it now! Please! Let me go!" She screamed again and again.

He had now let the pin drop to the ground as he struggled holding on to her. She began to thrash and turn, trying her best to get him to let her go.

"Stop moving!" He barked as he tried to grab onto her arms again. She continued to scream and tried to kick and hit in order to free herself. It was at that moment that he felt something sharp and hard hit him in the back of his neck. He momentarily let go of her, giving her the opportunity to push him off her. She quickly stood up and forced herself to run towards the opposite tree. She now stood, her eyes looking widely around her surroundings.

'Seto!' she thought as she tried to make out his figure. Bakura still was on the ground, holding onto his neck. It was at that moment Tea spotted a figure across from her. Someone was beckoning her to run.

Bakura stood up, looking towards the direction the rock had come from. He stood up with a deadly glare as he stared hard into the shadows. He heard Tea shift on the other end, and instantly turned his head towards her. She was getting ready to run again. He stood up and shook his head.

"Come out here now!" he bellowed as he kept his gaze locked on Tea.

He was met with nothing but silence.

That was until he heard a quiet yelp in the other direction. He dashed towards the direction that the voice had come from. He dashed towards the person he knew had just attacked him. He was furious again, and now he was going to kill. He would not rest, until he beheaded the person that had just hit him. Whoever it was, was going to die tonight.

--

Serenity saw the figure on top of the girl that was screaming. She saw her trying to escape, to get the animal on top of her to stop. Serenity couldn't watch. She couldn't stay there quietly and just watch the young girl be attacked by this beast. She knew who it was, and she knew that attacking Bakura would be a death wish, but she couldn't just sit back and watch the girl be devoured. Serenity quickly scanned the ground around her, looking for anything to throw at the man. She was hiding behind a few trees when she spotted a sharp edged rock. Without wasting a second, she snatched the rock from its resting place. She looked towards the two figures a fair amount of distance away from her and prayed.

'Please let this work. Let her escape,' she thought as she positioned herself to through the rock.

"Stop moving," his voice came as she hesitated in throwing the rock. Wait could she really do this? Could she help this girl? Serenity saw the young girls legs and arms flying about, trying to hit Bakura. The girl was screaming violently trying to escape. Serenity couldn't wait any longer, in an instant she threw the rock with as much force as possible, and the rock ended up hitting its target with as much strength as she had intended. Serenity instantly hid behind the tree trunk as her blood rushed through her veins. She could hear him. He was angry. She could hear the girl's quiet sobs as she had managed to get away from the man.

Serenity then took a chance and exposed herself. She could see the figure of the young girl across from her. Bakura had his back to her. She beckoned the girl to run. The girl seemed to acknowledge her. Just when she was about to run, an arm suddenly grabbed her wrist while another covered her mouth but not before she let out a small sound.

Serenity's eyes widened when her back met a firm chest. Within seconds, he let her go, and she ran as fast as she could. Opposite her, the girl also ran in the same direction as her. Both girls were running as fast as possible.

Serenity hadn't even looked at the figure that had grabbed her. All she knew was what he had whispered.

"Run."

Serenity ran towards the figure, and both girls ran side by side. Serenity didn't notice who the girl was in the darkness.

"Here, grab my arm. We need to keep going!" She said as she grabbed the girls hand. In turn, the girl muttered a quiet 'thanks' and followed suit.

Serenity kept running, pulling along the injured girl until they came to an opening. The moonlight was stronger, and more light was visible in this area. It was when she turned around that she had to stifle a scream.

The girl in front of her was the girl everyone had said was dead. The girl in front of her was the girl Serenity had grown fond of. In front of her stood an injured Tea Gardner, red, puffy eyes, bruises and scratches all about her body. She was still crying and when she spotted Serenity her eyes widened as well.

Both girls turned towards their left as they heard another voice.

"Thank god!"

--

Bakura dashed towards the direction of the noise. He quickly swerved around the tree to see an empty spot. When he turned his head towards Tea again, she had already run off.

"Damn it!" he cursed as he got ready to pursue her. As he rushed forwards, he was suddenly hit across the chest by a strong pair of arms. In a flash, he was sprawled against the ground. He stared at the dark figure that now stood before him. Bakura couldn't see who it was because of the shadows, but instantly knew it to be the man that had accompanied Tea to the party.

"Bastard," Bakura spat as he stood up to face the man before him. The moment he wiped his hands, the figure's right fist collided with the side of his face. Bakura in turn was thrown towards the side as he wiped the blood at the side of his lips.

"You're going to pay," the figure spoke as he rushed towards Bakura. Instantly, Bakura recognized the figure. It was the same one he had met not too long ago. It was the man in black, the one he had seen at the park.

Bakura chuckled as the figure stopped in his tracks. "So it's you? Are you finally going to reveal who you are?" He spoke as he casually began to walk towards the figure again.

The figure was evidently angry. Bakura could see him shaking, could see him trying to contain his anger. Bakura laughed again.

"What is it? Don't want to hurt me yet?" He mocked at the figure.

In the blink of an eye, Bakura doubled over as pain shot through his abdominal. The figure had swiftly moved forward and kicked Bakura in the stomach. That shot of pain was followed by the jolt that came from the pain on his back. The figure had elbowed the back of Bakura in between the shoulder blades. Again, that was followed by a sudden rise, as the figure forced Bakura to stand, and another swift punch to his jaw line. Bakura fell back towards the ground again, still gracing a smile.

"Angry, aren't we? Going to kill me now?" Bakura mocked despite the blood that was flowing from his lips.

The figure was about to take a step forward before he stopped.

"Not yet. Soon," he said.

Bakura eyed the figure closely and let his laughter escape again. One thing became clear to him in that instant. Whoever this figure was, was close to Tea. Whoever he was, was willing to risk his life to save Tea. He knew about her past, and had accepted her. Bakura couldn't help but laugh. As the figure turned to walk away, Bakura stopped laughing. Instead, he let his bloody smirk spread at the retreating form.

"You can't protect her. I'll make sure she comes back to me. And all you'll be able to do is watch."

The figure froze with his back towards Bakura. A moment of silence eminated between the two of them.

"If you touch her again, I will kill you." With that, the figure slowly disappeared into the darkness.

Bakura sat there watching until the figure completely faded from his sight. He then looked up at the moon that had been glowing in the sky. He laughed sinisterly as a dark cloud over took the moonlight.

His expression then changed again as anger made its way back into his mind.

"You'll pay. Both you and your little bastard."

He wiped away at his blood and stood up again. Close by was the little pin that Tea had been wearing. The camera. He picked it up and placed it in the palm of his hands.

"Let the hunt begin."

--

**And that is the end of that chapter! Finally, our characters are starting to come together. There are still a few lose ends that will start to make sense soon enough. Look forward to the excitement that's about to start! :P Thank you to all that have read and reviewed this story! I seriously love you all! I'm glad to see people are enjoying it. This particular chapter was a bit... intense lol! I find writing this dark story gets me all depressed too! So Im currently alternating chapter uploads between this story and my other more Romance and funner story Chaos Lane! So if you dont see this story updated, it means im probablt workin on the other one. Hopefully you enjoed this and please R and R!!! Thanks and until the next one!**


	11. Chapter 11: Tracking

**Nightmare City**

**Hey again! Yah! Next chapter is out! Thank you soo much to all those that left some wonderful reviews! You made my day! Now, enough from me and on with the long awaited chapter! **

**Warning: This chapter contains language, sexual/ mature content!**

_Disclaimers: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or the characters, and this story is purely fictional. If it does resemble anything, it is by pure coincidence! Thank you and enjoy!_

**Summary:** The world that they once knew exists no more. No more freedom, no more happiness, no more life. Everything changed after that one mistake. Whoever knew that trusting someone could cost the world its life? Who ever knew that one little mistake could separate friends, and bring destruction upon humanity? Who ever knew? (Is set after Battle City, a different take on things. Is also a little Dark and different from my other story. Pairings: SetoTea , mainly!, and for purposes of this story, all Hikari's and Yami's have their own bodies!)

Things to look for (All the chapters follow this guide):

_Flashbacks_

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

(NOTE from me)

_Last Chapter:_

_His expression then changed again as anger made its way back into his mind._

"_You'll pay. Both you and your little bastard."_

_He wiped away at his blood and stood up again. Close by was the little pin that Tea had been wearing. The camera. He picked it up and placed it in the palm of his hands._

"_Let the hunt begin."_

**Chapter 11**

**Tracking**

Mai had already let her tears fall down her face. This was too much. She just couldn't stand there and watch the sinister nature of Bakura. He was a sadistic bastard that had gone too far. This was just too much.

Mai turned her back to the computer screen as she made her way to the entrance of the cave. She could hear both Duke and Joey yelling profanity directed towards Bakura. She tried to cover her ears from it, knowing what was happening. However, within minute things went silent again. Mai's heartbeat was intense now as she imagined the worst possible scenario.

'She's dead.' Mai thought as her eyes were wide. Something had happened since the boys were quiet. Just when Mai was about to rush towards the computer screen again, she heard Joey's voice.

"Finally!"

Mai's eyes widened again as she realized Kaiba had finally come. Smiling Mai rushed out the cave in hopes of finding the injured Tea. She ran outside as she heard cheering from Joey. Kaiba was beating Bakura from the sound of things. The last thing she heard before she closed the cave door and ran out was Kaiba's voice.

"If you touch her again, I will kill you."

* * *

Seto Kaiba was furious. That was a fact. He nearly lost control the moment he'd seen Bakura. Kaiba was ready to kill the man on the spot, but decided not to. The time was not right. There was so much that had to be done, and Bakura was needed. Bakura had to play an important role in bringing about their freedom.

"Are you okay?" Duke's voice broke through.

Seto merely kept a straight face as he moved quickly through the shadows of the forest. He refused to speak. He was still angry, and he was concerned. In fact, he was worried he would give away the wavering voice he knew he held. He hadn't seen Tea in that instance, but he could already guess what she'd gone through. All he could hear while he had been rushing towards her was the pain and agony in Duke and Joey's voices. Just from the way they were screaming, and crying, he already knew Tea would be in horrible condition. He knew if he'd seen her he wouldn't have been able to control herself.

"Are they there?" He finally whispered into the microphone. Seto had wondered who the other girl was. He never looked at her face once, but he was grateful that she'd tried to help. If it hadn't been for her, who knows what might have happened. Seto would remember this for sure. Whoever the girl was, was now with Tea. Both of them would be at the cave now, or soon.

"They? There's someone else?" Duke's voice asked questioning.

Seto nodded, and tried to keep himself from screaming. "Are they there yet?" He asked again with is voice slightly louder.

"Not yet. Joey is out there looking for them."

Seto exhaled his breath again as he picked up speed.

"They should be back soon."

* * *

"Thank god!" the female voice said as both girls looked towards her.

The three of them stood still. Tea's eyes widened even further when she saw Mai. A faint smile appeared on her face as she closed her eyes. Within seconds both Serenity and Mai rushed to the fallen girl in front of them.

"Tea!" Both of them screamed as they came to her side.

"Tea! Wake up! Tea!" Serenity shrieked as worry engulfed her form. She was happy to see Tea alive and in front of her. She was happy to see Mai again as well. It was a miracle in these dark times to finally see some light. Both girls were alive and in front of her.

"Tea!" Mai's worried voice broke.

Mai immediately reached for the blanket she'd grabbed on her way out of the cave. She placed the blanket on top of Tea's unconscious form. It was a chilly night now, and it wouldn't be surprising for Tea to faint after what she'd just gone through. Mai let a small smile graze her features as she put her palm to the side of Tea's sleeping face. Tea looked horrible, yet peaceful. She still held a small smile on her own face.

"She must be happy to see us again," Mai whispered as she wiped her own tear that had made its way down her cheek. Sadness was overwhelming within her chest as she thought back to the incident earlier. Even though Tea had been through so much, Mai knew instantly that Tea didn't regret what happened. Tea was happy that her friends were alive. She would be ecstatic too see all of them together again. For Tea, her friends were her family. They would always be the heart and soul of her existence. Tea valued her friends more than she did her own life. Mai just knew Tea would make it through this. Her personality, her passion would lead her to further places in life.

Serenity was crouching quietly watching as tears escaped her eyes too.

"It was horrible Mai. I didn't know what to do," Serenity whispered as she looked at the sleeping girl's face.

Mai looked up at Serenity and smiled. "You did great. She's okay now. She'll be—" Mai's gaze fixated itself suddenly to the figure behind Serenity.

Alarmed, Serenity quickly swerved her head to see who it was that now stood behind her. She immediately shrieked and rushed towards the man that now stood frozen in his tracks.

"Joey!" She yelled as she put her arms around his neck. Still frozen, he merely looked straight ahead. It took him nearly a minute to realize that the sobbing girl clinging onto him was his little sister. He let out a nervous laugh as he held onto her tightly.

"Ren, thank god! Thank god!" He muttered in the midst of his laughing. He held onto her tightly as both of them smiled and sobbed.

Mai looked at the scene in front of her while Tea's head was placed on her laps. Tea was still sleeping with a small smile on her face, and both siblings were reunited again. Mai smiled again as she looked up to see the moonlight shining down on them.

"We'll be alright."

* * *

"He's angry."

"Shut up."

"But he's really angry."

He tried to ignore it. He tried. One more word and he would kill them.

"What –"

_BANG!_

Bakura now stood facing the two of the men that had previously been talking. He had already raised his hand with the dagger when he turned. He looked at the shorter one already on the floor. Dead.

"He talks too much," came the voice to the right.

Bakura looked at the sinister man and lowered his arm with the dagger still clean in his hands.

"Using guns now?" Bakura mumbled as the man approached him.

"It was a gift. How'd the chase go?" Marik smirked as the both of them walked towards the dining area. When Bakura didn't reply, Marik let out a chuckle. "Thing's not going well?"

Bakura turned around and gave Marik a deadly glare. Marik looked at the man in front of him. Something was serious.

"What is it?" Marik asked again, in a serious tone this time.

Bakura quietly continued to walk to the dining area. He was still angry with what had happened.

Marik just stared behind the retreating man. With a sigh he turned to the men behind him.

"Clean up that mess."

* * *

The dark shadows were cast in front of him. He could see the last of the men retreating back to the chaotic scene. A few of the men were dragging along some screaming individuals. Others were being slapped, while some were carried. Yami merely crouched in silence and watched.

"Why aren't we doing anything?" Yu-gi's small voice appeared beside him.

Startled, Yami looked towards the shorter boy. He'd been missing again in as soon as they'd heard the explosion. Rather than yelling at the boy, Yami decided to stay calm.

"Yami? We have to do something to help them," Yu-gi said again

Yami let out a sigh as he turned to the boy. "We can't. If we do anything now, we'll be caught as well."

Yu-gi nodded as his pale face shone in the moonlight. It was horrible, but it was the truth. They couldn't do anything without getting caught.

Once Yami knew that Yu-gi understood, he turned his attention back to the last of the retreating forms. Screams were still echoing off into the distance and the fire was starting to calm down. This was one heck of a night and Yami knew that there was going to be a war. He smiled again as thoughts of his old friends came to mind. It'd been many years since he last saw his friends.

"I know. I hope they're okay too," Yu-gi whispered as the both of them watched the last figure disappear.

"We'll find them Yu-gi. That's a promise."

* * *

Bakura sat watching the figure in front of him. He hated these silent moments.

"Who was it?" Marik voiced.

Bakura just let out a sigh. He looked up at the man to see his glare evidently shining on his features. He wondered if he should let Marik know about the lost little pet he'd found.

"Not sure. I followed one."

"The woman?" Marik asked with a slight smirk. Bakura merely nodded with his cold expression. Marik knew Bakura had been watching the girl in yellow at the party. And based on Bakura's new expression, he knew something went wrong. "What happened?"

Bakura tried to repress his excitement and anger at the same time. He took a moment to reply. "Someone interrupted us."

"Not that. Tonight. What the hell happened?"

Bakura was taken aback by Marik's sudden tone of voice. He didn't yell, and there was no humour anymore. Marik was serious. Bakura looked at Marik to see the anger rising up slowly onto his features.

"We were attacked."

"How?" Marik said in a curious tone.

Bakura took a moment to think. How was a good question. The security for the party was supposed to be the best. They were supposed to have controlled who entered the premises. Everyone was supposed to be accounted for, so how did things turn out the way they did.

"I guess a bug slipped in," Bakura said as he watched Marik stand rigidly in front of him.

"That bug crashed the wrong party. Did you trace the signals from that camera you found?"

Bakura closed his eyes as he shook his head.

"Not yet. The device is harder to track then I thought it would be."

Marik groaned as he began to pace the room.

"I don't care how you do it. Find out who they were, and where they are. I don't take being made fun of at my own party very lightly."

Bakura nodded as he watched Marik leave the room. Marik had been affected by what happened. He was right though, he was made a 'joke' of at his party. In fact, this party was supposed to show the other leaders and prominent figures just how strong of a hold they held. They were supposed to be able to win over the rest of the figures to secure their hold over the country, and even make progressions into the rest of Asia.

Bakura turned towards the man that now stood in his door way.

"Sir, we found our intruders."

* * *

"Where is she?" He practically screamed when he entered the room.

Everyone looked towards him in silence. The escaped prisoners sat in front of him in a group watching him. Joey and Duke stood at the end of the room, beckoning him towards them.

He approached them, carefully making his way through the watchful crowd. They were stunned, he could tell that much. Most of them probably didn't think he'd still be alive. Heck, he'd been well known at one point in time. People thought he had been killed since he'd been 'missing' for so long.

"You don't need to frighten everybody like that Kaiba. She's okay," Duke reprimanded him.

Seto merely grunted a 'shut up', before pushing past the two to make his way towards the curve that he knew she was in now. As he approached the side, he saw two women leaning over the person under the covers. He held himself back from rushing to her side as he saw the yellow dress tattered and covered in dirt and stains to the side.

"Tea," he whispered.

Both women turned towards him with a start. They were obviously startled by his voice.

"Kaiba?" Mai asked as she stood up.

He looked towards her and was surprised to see Tea's old friends again. What shocked him more was the woman beside her. It was Joey's sister.

Seto tried to control his expressions again as he walked towards the women. Again he called out to her, and there was no reply.

"She's asleep," Mai spoke.

Seto looked towards her again. He just wanted to make sure she was okay.

Mai looked towards him and gave him a nod.

"She's okay. We'll let you stay with her a bit though."

He nodded again as the two girls walked past him. He waited until they were out of sight before turning back to the sleeping form ahead of him. In front of him lay the girl with her brown hair splattered across the white pillow. She was covered by a blue blanket. Her eyes were closed as he took his seat beside her.

"Thank god," he sighed as he let his hand rest on her forehead.

She was asleep. He could see her pale face covered in a few scratches. Her hair acted as a veil which fell over the side of her face. She was lying on her side, with her face facing him. He brought his hand down from her forehead towards the veiled cheek. She was warm. He swiped her hair behind her ear and let his hand rest on her cheek. The silence engulfed the room. She was sleeping soundly.

His lips formed a slight smile as her eyes began to flicker. Slowly, his ice blue eyes met hers.

"Seto..." she whispered as she placed her hand on his. Looking into his eyes she visibly relaxed and let out a small smile.

Seto continued to smile at her. He knew she was a strong girl. Anyone who'd gone through something like she had today would be petrified. But Tea was not like the others. That's what he loved about her. She held her onto her beliefs and persisted. She would sacrifice herself any day to help others. He'd seen this quality in her for a while, and it was this quality that first drew him to her.

It was that same quality that still drew him to her now. He slowly closed the gap between the two as he let his lips touch hers. She responded as she held his hand in her hand and let her lips mould against his. They stayed like that for a moment before the two parted.

She looked up at his and smiled back. "Thank you."

Seto watched as the young girl lay back down, still holding onto his hands. She let her eyes stay encased with his for a moment longer before she let them close. She was asleep again.

"I love you," he whispered with her hands held firmly within his grasp.

* * *

"We've located the signal."

"But I don't get it. There's nothing around here."

Bakura growled as he scanned the surroundings. There was nothing but trees and mountains. It was the typical forest setting covered with all of the typical natural setting. "Are you sure this is the spot?"

The man in front of him was startled. "Ye- Yes sir. I-I'm sure."

Bakura muttered a curse under his breath as he pushed past the man to take in the surroundings. It didn't make sense. According to the information, the signal from the camera came from this location. He should have been able to see some sign of life, or even habitat or something to give away a spot for her to be.

Whatever the case, he did not want to return without any success. Marik was already furious, and who knew what the man would do if they did not find something here.

"Look around closely. They're here somewhere." Bakura sneered as he scanned the surroundings. He just knew they'd be around here.

"Where," he chuckled as he began to search, "oh, where are you?"

* * *

**I know! I'm sorry! Things are always crazy in life! I know this chapte****r isn't long, but I wanted to give you guys something to read! It's been way too long since my last update and I think you've all waited long enough! Enjoy this for now though! ****J**** Hopefully you liked it and please leave a review! Any suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated! Thanks to all those that continue to support my stories! ****J**** I love you! Until the next one! :D **

**Also! A little note! I always try to update my profile page on the status of the story! I don't like leaving stories hanging, so I will update them! Approximate dates of chapters and status of chapters can be found there! Thanks again and see you soon!**


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